A slower than normal heart rate, typically defined as fewer than 60 beats per minute in adults. Can be normal in athletes or indicate underlying heart disease or medication effects.
From Greek 'bradys' (slow) + 'kardia' (heart). The term was coined in the early 1900s as pulse measurement became standardized in medicine. The concept of 'normal' heart rate evolved as doctors began systematically measuring and recording vital signs in large populations.
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