pulse

¹

[puhls]

noun

1. the regular throbbing of the arteries, caused by the successive contractions of the heart, especially as may be felt at an artery, as at the wrist.

2. a single pulsation, or beat or throb, of the arteries or heart.

3. the rhythmic recurrence of strokes, vibrations, or undulations.

4. a single stroke, vibration, or undulation.

5. Electricity.,  a momentary, sudden fluctuation in an electrical quantity, as in voltage or current.

6. Physics.,  a single, abrupt emission of particles or radiation.

7. a throb of life, emotion, etc.

8. vitality.

9. the general attitude, sentiment, preference, etc., as of the public.

verb (used without object)

pulsed, pulsing 

1. to beat or throb; pulsate.

2. to beat, vibrate, or undulate.

3. Physics.,  to emit particles or radiation periodically in short bursts.

verb (used with object)

pulsed, pulsing 

1. to cause to pulse.

2. Medicine/Medical.,  to administer (medication) in interrupted, often concentrated dosages to avoid unwanted side effects.

pulse

²

[puhls]

noun

1. the edible seeds of certain leguminous plants, as peas, beans, or lentils.

2. a plant producing such seeds.

pulse

¹

/ pʌls /

noun

1. physiol

   1. the rhythmic contraction and expansion of an artery at each beat of the heart, often discernible to the touch at points such as the wrists

   2. a single pulsation of the heart or arteries

2. physics electronics

   1. a transient sharp change in voltage, current, or some other quantity normally constant in a system

   2. one of a series of such transient disturbances, usually recurring at regular intervals and having a characteristic geometric shape

   3. Less common name: impulse. ( as modifier )

      a pulse generator

3. 1. a recurrent rhythmic series of beats, waves, vibrations, etc

   2. any single beat, wave, etc, in such a series

4. bustle, vitality, or excitement

   the pulse of a city

5. the feelings or thoughts of a group or society as they can be measured

   the pulse of the voters

6. to be well-informed about current events

verb

1. (intr) to beat, throb, or vibrate

2. (tr) to provide an electronic pulse to operate (a slide projector)

pulse

²

/ pʌls /

noun

1. the edible seeds of any of several leguminous plants, such as peas, beans, and lentils

2. the plant producing any of these seeds

pulse

1. The rhythmic expansion and contraction of the arteries as blood is pumped through them by the heart. The pulse can be felt at several parts of the body, as over the carotid and radial arteries.

2. A dose of a medication or other substance given over a short period of time, usually repetitively.

3. 1. A brief sudden change in a normally constant quantity, such as an electric current or field.

   2. Any of a series of intermittent occurrences characterized by a brief sudden change in a quantity.

Other Word Forms

• unpulsing adjective
• pulseless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pulse¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English pous(e), puls(e), from Old French pous, pulse, and Latin pulsus “a beat, stroke, throb,” noun use of past participle of pellere “to push, drive, strike”

Origin of pulse²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English puls, pols, from Old French pous, pouls, pols, from Latin puls “porridge; thick pap of meal”; poultice

Word History and Origins

Origin of pulse¹

C14 pous, from Latin pulsus a beating, from pellere to beat

Origin of pulse²

C13 pols, from Old French, from Latin puls pottage of pulse

Idioms and Phrases

see take the pulse of.

Example Sentences

Velasco’s mastery with paint and perspective, in both senses, is obvious—and once one understands what he was up to, the paintings pulse with meaning.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Or what it feels like to ride the slow heaving of the ocean, pulsing like the heartbeat of the world.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The club hits pulsed, her dancing was evocative and precise, and the set was again punctuated with a locally-sourced cover from each city she performs in; this time “The Chain” from Fleetwood Mac.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Showgirl’s” opening track has a sultry groove and low pulse that could easily be the soundtrack to a flirty nightcap or the series finale of a dark comedy.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Even Shallow, Gaga's Oscar-winning A Star Is Born ballad, opens with an unsettling synth pulse , as it soundtracks the show's climactic final act.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• vibration