'precordium' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'praecordium', where 'prae-' meant 'before' and 'cor/cord-' meant 'heart'.

'precordium' came into English from Medieval/Scientific Latin 'praecordium' (or plural 'praecordia'), which in classical Latin referred to the front part of the chest or the internal organs located there, and was adopted into English medical usage as 'precordium'.

Initially, 'praecordium' in Latin referred more broadly to the front of the chest or internal organs in that area; over time it narrowed in medical English to mean specifically the area of the chest over the heart (the anterior chest overlying the heart).