Added 9 October 2026
pulsation
/pʌlˈseɪʃn̩/ noun
Latin root: pulsātiō Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pulsation at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
(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
- A periodically recurring phenomenon that alternately increases and decreases some quantity.
-
The rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart.
he could feel the beat of her heart
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)