atrial fibrillation

noun

Medical Definition of atrial fibrillation

: very rapid uncoordinated contractions of the atria of the heart resulting in a lack of synchronism between heartbeat and pulse beat If you're experiencing chest pain, palpitations, lightheadedness or shortness of breath, you could have atrial fibrillation (AF), a condition in which the heart's upper chambers (atria) "quiver."— Abigail L. Cuffey, Woman's Day, 10 Feb. 2010 —abbreviation AF

— called also A-fib, auricular fibrillation

Comments on atrial fibrillation

What made you want to look up atrial fibrillation? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

peer-to-peer

using a distributed computer network

Test Your Vocabulary

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which came first?

sarcastic snarky

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ