pulsation

American  

[puhl-sey-shuhn] / pʌlˈseɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of pulsating; beating or throbbing.

2. a beat or throb, as of the pulse.

3. vibration or undulation.

4. a single vibration.

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pulsation British  

/ pʌlˈseɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of pulsating

2. physiol a rhythmic beating or pulsing esp of the heart or an artery

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Other Word Forms

• nonpulsation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of pulsation

1375–1425; late Middle English pulsacioun < Latin pulsātiōn- (stem of pulsātiō ). See pulsate, -ion

Explanation

Pulsation is a throbbing, repeating rhythm, like the pulsation of your blood in your ears when you're running or the pulsation of music in a loud dance club. The pulsation of your heart is what pumps blood through your body — it moves rhythmically, expanding and contracting. Anything that throbs this way is also pulsation, like the when the car stereo is turned up so loud you can feel the beat of the music through the soles of your feet. Pulsation comes from the Latin pulsationem, "a beating or striking," and its root meaning "to thrust, strike, or drive."

Example Sentences

Pulsation measurements also show that the differential rotation that we see at the Sun’s surface, with the fastest rotation occurring at the equator, persists down through the convection zone.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

Pulsation is strong in the external carotid artery, there is little in the common carotid.

From Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900 Being Mainly a Clinical Study of the Nature and Effects of Injuries Produced by Bullets of Small Calibre by Makins, George Henry

Pulsation was both visible and palpable, there was little or no tenderness on examination, and the patient did not complain of pain.

From Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900 Being Mainly a Clinical Study of the Nature and Effects of Injuries Produced by Bullets of Small Calibre by Makins, George Henry

Pulsation will, in the living body, usually suffice to distinguish the artery from the other textures, and the ligature may be passed from whichever side is most convenient.

From A Manual of the Operations of Surgery For the Use of Senior Students, House Surgeons, and Junior Practitioners by Bell, Joseph

Pulsation, synchronous with the action of the heart, is the diagnostic symptom.

From Special Report on Diseases of the Horse by Michener, Charles B.