pulse
1
[ puhls ]
/ pʌls /
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.
Origin of pulse
1
1300–50; < Latin
pulsus a beat, equivalent to
*peld-, base of
pellere to set in motion by beating or striking (cf.
impel) +
-tus, suffix of v. action, with
dt <
s and backing and raising of
e before velar
l; replacing Middle English
pous < Middle French < Latin, as above
OTHER WORDS FROM pulse
un·puls·ing, adjectiveWords nearby pulse
Definition for pulse (2 of 2)
pulse
2
[ puhls ]
/ pʌls /
noun
the edible seeds of certain leguminous plants, as peas, beans, or lentils.
a plant producing such seeds.
Origin of pulse
2
1250–1300; Middle English
puls < Latin: thick pap of meal, pulse. See
poultice
Example sentences from the Web for pulse
British Dictionary definitions for pulse (1 of 2)
pulse
1
/ (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)
pulse
2
/ (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
Medical definitions for pulse
pulse
[ pŭls ]
n.
The rhythmical dilation of arteries produced when blood is pumped outward by regular contractions of the heart, especially as palpated at the wrist or in the neck.
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.
Idioms and Phrases with pulse
pulse
see take the pulse of.