By heart
Example: She learned the song by heart before the concert.
Definition
"By heart" means to memorize something completely and accurately, so it can be recalled without reading or referencing the original material. For example, when someone learns a song by heart, they can sing it perfectly from memory without any help.
Etymology
The phrase "by heart" originates from the medieval belief that memory was seated in the heart rather than the brain. People thought learning something 'by heart' meant it was deeply ingrained within one's emotional core, not just the mind. Over time, it simply came to mean memorizing perfectly.
Learn to use this word actively
"By heart" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - Music - (A2) - set 1", containing 102 commonly used words.
Would you like to not only understand these words, but also remember them and use them actively? Create a free account and select English as the language you want to learn.
Create a free account
