They almost look alike, but both have different meanings and origins. Infarct This is a noun in English, infarct . It is usually used in medical context. But sometimes, it is used as a verb informally in clinical papers, e.g. "the tissue infarcted". This term entered English in around 19th century. Infract means a small localised area of dead tissue resulting from failure of blood supply. It is taken from Modern Latin infarctus = in + farctus. From Latin infarcīre ➡️ leads to infarctus. In = into. Farcīre = to stuff or to cram. Infarcīre = to stuff into or with. Farctus is past participle of farcīre. It means stuffed , crammed , or filled . Therefore, infarctus means stuffed into , crammed into , or filled with . Infarction This is the predecessor of infarct, also a noun . It means obstruction of the blood supply to an organ or region of tissue, causing local death of the tissue. It is th...