pulse
1 (pŭls)
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin pulsus from past participle of pellere, to beat.]
noun
- The rhythmical throbbing of arteries produced by the regular contractions of the heart, especially as palpated at the wrist or in the neck.
- A regular or rhythmical beating.
- A single beat or throb.
- Physics
- A brief sudden change in a normally constant quantity: a pulse of current; a pulse of radiation.
- Any of a series of intermittent occurrences characterized by a brief sudden change in a quantity.
- The perceptible emotions or sentiments of a group of people: “a man who had . . . his finger on the pulse of America” (Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr.)
intransitive verb: pulsed, puls·ing, puls·es.
- To pulsate; beat: “The nation pulsed with music and proclamation, with rages and moral pretensions” (Lance Morrow)
- Physics To undergo a series of intermittent occurrences characterized by brief, sudden changes in a quantity.
idioms
- take the pulse of
- To judge the mood or views of (a political electorate, for example): The politician was able to take the pulse of the grass-roots voters.
pulse
2 (pŭls)
[Middle English pols, from Old French, from Latin puls, pottage of meal and pulse, probably ultimately from Greek poltos.]
noun
- The edible seeds of certain pod-bearing plants, such as peas and beans.
- A plant yielding these seeds.
