Adjacent Words

Pulse definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PULSE, n. puls. [L. pulsus, from pello, to drive.]
1. In animals, the beating or throbbing of the heart and arteries;more particularly, the sudden dilatation of an artery, caused by the projectile force of the blood, which is perceptible to the touch. Hence we say, to feel the pulse. The pulse is frequent or rare, quick or slow, equal or unequal, regular or intermitting, hard or soft, strong or weak, etc. The pulses of an adult in health, are little more than one pulse to a second; in certain fevers, the number is increased to 90, 100, or even to 140 in a minute.
2. The stroke with which a medium is affected by the motion of light, sound, etc.; oscillation; vibration.
Sir Isaac Newton demonstrates that the velocities of the pulses of an elastic fluid medium are in a ratio compounded of half the ratio of the elastic force directly, and half the ratio of the density inversely.
To feel one's pulse, metaphorically, to sound one's opinion; to try or to know one's mind.
PULSE, v.i. To beat, as the arteries. [Little used.]
PULSE, v.t. [L. pulso.] To drive, as the pulse. [Little used.]
PULSE, n. [L. pulsus, beaten out, as seeds; Heb. a bean, to separate.] Leguminous plants or their seeds; the plants whose pericarp is a legume or pod, as beans, peas, etc.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: (electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients); "the pulsations seemed to be coming from a star" [syn: pulsation, pulsing, pulse, impulse]
2: the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart; "he could feel the beat of her heart" [syn: pulse, pulsation, heartbeat, beat]
3: the rate at which the heart beats; usually measured to obtain a quick evaluation of a person's health [syn: pulse, pulse rate, heart rate]
4: edible seeds of various pod-bearing plants (peas or beans or lentils etc.) v
1: expand and contract rhythmically; beat rhythmically; "The baby's heart was pulsating again after the surgeon massaged it" [syn: pulsate, throb, pulse]
2: produce or modulate (as electromagnetic waves) in the form of short bursts or pulses or cause an apparatus to produce pulses; "pulse waves"; "a transmitter pulsed by an electronic tube" [syn: pulse, pulsate]
3: drive by or as if by pulsation; "A soft breeze pulsed the air"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English puls, probably from Anglo-French puuiz gruel, from Latin pult-, puls, probably from Greek poltos Date: 13th century the edible seeds of various crops (as peas, beans, or lentils) of the legume family; also a plant yielding pulse II. noun Etymology: Middle English puls, from Anglo-French, from Latin pulsus, literally, beating, from pellere to drive, push, beat — more at felt Date: 14th century 1. a. the regular expansion of an artery caused by the ejection of blood into the arterial system by the contractions of the heart b. the palpable beat resulting from such pulse as detected in a superficial artery; also the number of individual beats in a specified time period (as one minute) <a resting pulse of 70> 2. a. underlying sentiment or opinion or an indication of it b. vitality 3. a. rhythmical beating, vibrating, or sounding b. beat, throb 4. a. a transient variation of a quantity (as electric current or voltage) whose value is normally constant b. (1) an electromagnetic wave or modulation thereof of brief duration (2) a brief disturbance of pressure in a medium; especially a sound wave or short train of sound waves 5. a dose of a substance especially when applied over a short period of time <pulses of intravenous methylprednisolone> III. verb (pulsed; pulsing) Date: 15th century intransitive verb to exhibit a pulse or pulsation ; throb transitive verb 1. to drive by or as if by a pulsation 2. to cause to pulsate 3. a. to produce or modulate (as electromagnetic waves) in the form of pulses <pulsed waves> b. to cause (an apparatus) to produce pulses • pulser noun

Britannica Concise

Pressure wave in the arteries from contraction of the heart. It can be felt where arteries are near the skin's surface; it is usually read at the carotid artery in the neck or at the wrist. Its rate, strength, and rhythm and the contour of the wave provide valuable information but must be viewed in context (e.g., rapid pulse occurs with serious heart disease, simple fever, or vigorous exercise). The average adult pulse rate is 70-80 beats per minute; the rate decreases with age and is generally faster in women.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a a rhythmical throbbing of the arteries as blood is propelled through them, esp. as felt in the wrists, temples, etc. b each successive beat of the arteries or heart. 2 a throb or thrill of life or emotion. 3 a latent feeling. 4 a single vibration of sound, electric current, light, etc., esp. as a signal. 5 a musical beat. 6 any regular or recurrent rhythm, e.g. of the stroke of oars. --v.intr. 1 pulsate. 2 (foll. by out, in, etc.) transmit etc. by rhythmical beats. Phrases and idioms: pulse code coding information in pulses. pulse code modulation a pulse modulation technique of representing a signal by a sequence of binary codes. pulse modulation a type of modulation in which pulses are varied to represent a signal. Derivatives: pulseless adj. Etymology: ME f. OF pous f. L pulsus f. pellere puls- drive, beat 2. n. (as sing. or pl.) 1 the edible seeds of various leguminous plants, e.g. chick-peas, lentils, beans, etc. 2 the plant or plants producing this. Etymology: ME f. OF pols f. L puls pultis porridge of meal etc.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pulse Pulse, n. [OE. puls, L. puls, pultis, a thick pap or pottage made of meal, pulse, etc. See Poultice, and cf. Pousse.] Leguminous plants, or their seeds, as beans, pease, etc. If all the world Should, in a pet of temperance, feed on pulse. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pulse Pulse, n. [OE. pous, OF. pous, F. pouls, fr. L. pulsus (sc. venarum), the beating of the pulse, the pulse, from pellere, pulsum, to beat, strike; cf. Gr. ? to swing, shake, ? to shake. Cf. Appeal, Compel, Impel, Push.] 1. (Physiol.) The beating or throbbing of the heart or blood vessels, especially of the arteries. Note: In an artery the pulse is due to the expansion and contraction of the elastic walls of the artery by the action of the heart upon the column of blood in the arterial system. On the commencement of the diastole of the ventricle, the semilunar valves are closed, and the aorta recoils by its elasticity so as to force part of its contents into the vessels farther onwards. These, in turn, as they already contain a certain quantity of blood, expand, recover by an elastic recoil, and transmit the movement with diminished intensity. Thus a series of movements, gradually diminishing in intensity, pass along the arterial system (see the Note under Heart). For the sake of convenience, the radial artery at the wrist is generally chosen to detect the precise character of the pulse. The pulse rate varies with age, position, sex, stature, physical and psychical influences, etc. 2. Any measured or regular beat; any short, quick motion, regularly repeated, as of a medium in the transmission of light, sound, etc.; oscillation; vibration; pulsation; impulse; beat; movement. The measured pulse of racing oars. --Tennyson. When the ear receives any simple sound, it is struck by a single pulse of the air, which makes the eardrum and the other membranous parts vibrate according to the nature and species of the stroke. --Burke. Pulse glass, an instrument consisting to a glass tube with terminal bulbs, and containing ether or alcohol, which the heat of the hand causes to boil; -- so called from the pulsating motion of the liquid when thus warmed. Pulse wave (Physiol.), the wave of increased pressure started by the ventricular systole, radiating from the semilunar valves over the arterial system, and gradually disappearing in the smaller branches. the pulse wave travels over the arterial system at the rate of about 29.5 feet in a second. --H. N. Martin. To feel one's pulse. (a) To ascertain, by the sense of feeling, the condition of the arterial pulse. (b) Hence, to sound one's opinion; to try to discover one's mind.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pulse Pulse, v. i. To beat, as the arteries; to move in pulses or beats; to pulsate; to throb. --Ray.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pulse Pulse, v. t. [See Pulsate, Pulse a beating.] To drive by a pulsation; to cause to pulsate. [R.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(pulses, pulsing, pulsed) 1. Your pulse is the regular beating of blood through your body, which you can feel when you touch particular parts of your body, especially your wrist. Mahoney's pulse was racing, and he felt confused. N-COUNT: usu sing 2. In music, a pulse is a regular beat, which is often produced by a drum. ...the repetitive pulse of the music. N-COUNT 3. A pulse of electrical current, light, or sound is a temporary increase in its level. The switch works by passing a pulse of current between the tip and the surface. N-COUNT 4. If you refer to the pulse of a group in society, you mean the ideas, opinions, or feelings they have at a particular time. The White House insists that the president is in touch with the pulse of the black community. N-SING: the N of n 5. If something pulses, it moves, appears, or makes a sound with a strong regular rhythm. His temples pulsed a little, threatening a headache... It was a slow, pulsing rhythm that seemed to sway languidly in the air. = throb VERB: V, V-ing 6. Some seeds which can be cooked and eaten are called pulses, for example peas, beans, and lentils. N-PLURAL 7. If you have your finger on the pulse of something, you know all the latest opinions or developments concerning it. He claims to have his finger on the pulse of the industry... It's important to keep your finger on the pulse by reading all the right magazines. PHRASE: Ns inflect, usu PHR after v 8. When someone takes your pulse or feels your pulse, they find out how quickly your heart is beating by feeling the pulse in your wrist. PHRASE: V and N inflect

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(Dan. 1:12, 16), R.V. "herbs," vegetable food in general.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

puls (zero'-im (Da 1:12 margin, "herbs"), zere'onim (Da 1:16); compare zerua`, "sowing seed" (Le 11:37), and zeru'im, "things sown" (Isa 61:11)):

(1) In Da 1:12,16, it must mean herbs or vegetables grown from seeds; a vegetable diet is what is implied.

(2) In 2Sa 17:28, "pulse" after "parched" is not in the original, but is probably more correct than the translation in (1), as "pulse" usually implies leguminous plants, peas, beans, etc.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Beating or throbbing of an artery, pulsation, throb. 2. Oscillation, vibration, pulsation, measured or regular beat. 3. Legumes, fruit of leguminous plants.

Moby Thesaurus

algae, alternate, arrhythmia, arsis, autophyte, bar beat, be here again, bean, beat, beating, bicker, bout, bracken, brown algae, circle, circuit, climber, come again, come and go, come around, come round, come round again, come up again, conferva, confervoid, course, creeper, cycle, dance, diastole, diatom, downbeat, drum, drumming, echo pulse, fern, flap, flick, flicker, flip, flit, flitter, flop, flutter, fruits and vegetables, fucus, fungus, go pitapat, grapevine, green algae, gulfweed, gutter, hammering, heartbeat, heartthrob, herb, heterophyte, intermit, ivy, kelp, legume, lentil, liana, lichen, liverwort, mold, moss, mushroom, offbeat, oscillate, palpitate, palpitating, palpitation, pant, parasite, parasitic plant, pea, perthophyte, phytoplankton, pitapat, pitter-patter, planktonic algae, plant families, pounding, puffball, pulsate, pulsating, pulsation, pulsing, rat-a-tat, rataplan, reappear, recur, red algae, reoccur, repeat, resonate, return, reverberating, reverberation, revolution, revolve, rhythm, rockweed, roll around, rotate, rotation, round, rust, saprophyte, sargasso, sargassum, sea lentil, sea moss, sea wrack, seaweed, series, slat, smut, spell, splutter, sputter, staccato, succulent, systole, tempo, thesis, throb, throbbing, thrumming, thumping, tick, ticktock, toadstool, trigger pulse, turn, undulate, upbeat, vetch, vibrate, vibrating, vibration, vine, wave, waver, wheel, wheel around, wort, wrack