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pulsation

pul·sa·tion

UK/pʌlˈseɪʃn̩/ US/pəlˈseɪʃən/ uncommon archaic

noun

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”
Synonyms
2.

a periodically recurring phenomenon that alternately increases and decreases some quantity

3.

the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart

  • “he could feel the beat of her heart”
Synonyms

Origin

Inherited from Middle English pulsacioun (“pulsing of the blood, throbbing”), borrowed from Middle French pulsacion (“(of bells) a striking (end of 14th c.); (of a diseased part of the body) a throbbing (1377); pulsation (1575)”), and its source, Latin pulsātiō (“(classical Latin) a beating or striking; (Medieval Latin, medical) rhythmical expansion and contraction (1363 in Chauliac)”). By surface analysis, pulsate + -ion.

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.