Pulse
Pulse , noun
[Old English puls, Latin puls, pultis, a thick pap or pottage made of meal, pulse, etc. See Poultice, and compare Pousse.]
Pulse , noun
[Old English pous, Old French pous, French pouls, from Latin pulsus (sc. venarum), the beating of the pulse, the pulse, from pellere, pulsum, to beat, strike; compare Greek {not transcribed} to swing, shake, {not transcribed} to shake. Compare Appeal, Compel, Impel, Push.]
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.
Pulse , intransitive verb
Pulse , transitive verb
[See Pulsate, Pulse a beating.]