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pulse
1[ puhls ]
/ pʌls /
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noun
verb (used without object), pulsed, puls·ing.
verb (used with object), pulsed, puls·ing.
to cause to pulse.
Medicine/Medical. to administer (medication) in interrupted, often concentrated dosages to avoid unwanted side effects.
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Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of pulse
1First 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”
OTHER WORDS FROM pulse
un·puls·ing, adjectiveWords nearby pulse
Other definitions for pulse (2 of 2)
pulse2
[ puhls ]
/ pʌls /
noun
the edible seeds of certain leguminous plants, as peas, beans, or lentils.
a plant producing such seeds.
Origin of pulse
2First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English puls, pols, from Old French pous, pouls, pols, from Latin puls “porridge; thick pap of meal”; see also poultice
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use pulse in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for pulse (1 of 2)
pulse1
/ (pʌls) /
noun
verb
(intr) to beat, throb, or vibrate
(tr) to provide an electronic pulse to operate (a slide projector)
Derived forms of pulse
pulseless, adjectiveWord Origin for pulse
C14 pous, from Latin pulsus a beating, from pellere to beat
British Dictionary definitions for pulse (2 of 2)
pulse2
/ (pʌls) /
noun
the edible seeds of any of several leguminous plants, such as peas, beans, and lentils
the plant producing any of these seeds
Word Origin for pulse
C13 pols, from Old French, from Latin puls pottage of pulse
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for pulse
pulse
[ pŭls ]
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.
A dose of a medication or other substance given over a short period of time, usually repetitively.
- A brief sudden change in a normally constant quantity, such as an electric current or field.
- Any of a series of intermittent occurrences characterized by a brief sudden change in a quantity.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with pulse
pulse
see take the pulse of.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.