ENGLISH
REFERENCE

pulse

n. · v.
US //ˈpəɫs// UK //pˈʌls// pulse
  1. 1 heartbeat (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Medicine

    the regular beat of blood through your body, which you can feel at your wrist or neck.

    the rhythmic arterial throbbing caused by the heart's contractions, typically measured at the radial or carotid artery.

    Example

    The doctor checked my pulse to make sure my heart was beating normally.

    Example

    After the marathon, his resting pulse remained elevated for several hours as his body recovered from the intense physical exertion.
  2. 2 edible seeds (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Cooking

    the edible seeds of plants like peas, beans, and lentils.

    the edible seeds of various leguminous plants, typically harvested in a dry state.

    Example

    Adding pulses like chickpeas to your soup makes it much more filling.

    Example

    The chef recommended a diet rich in pulses and whole grains to provide a sustainable source of plant-based protein.
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  1. 3 burst of energy (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Science

    a short, sudden increase in light, sound, or electricity.

    a transient signal or short burst of electromagnetic or acoustic energy.

    Example

    The machine sends a pulse of light through the cable to transmit data.

    Example

    The radar system emits a high-frequency pulse and measures the time it takes for the signal to bounce back from an object.
  2. 4 general mood or energy (n.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    the feeling of energy or excitement in a place or activity.

    the underlying rhythm, energy, or prevailing mood of a specific environment or social movement.

    Example

    You can really feel the pulse of the city in this busy market.

    Example

    The journalist spent months in the capital trying to capture the political pulse of the nation during the election cycle.
  3. 5 to throb or vibrate (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to move or shake with a strong, regular beat.

    to expand and contract rhythmically; to vibrate or throb with intensity.

    Example

    The loud music made the floor pulse beneath our feet.

    Example

    The neon signs pulsed rhythmically in the rain, casting flickering colors across the deserted pavement.
  4. 6 to process in bursts (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Cooking

    to turn a machine on and off quickly to chop food without turning it into liquid.

    to operate a kitchen appliance, such as a blender, in short, intermittent bursts.

    Example

    Pulse the onions a few times in the food processor until they are roughly chopped.

    Example

    To achieve the correct texture for the salsa, you should pulse the ingredients rather than blending them continuously.

Etymology 1

From Late Middle English pulse, Middle English pous, pouse (“regular beat of arteries, pulse; heartbeat; place on the body where a pulse is detectable; beat (of a musical instrument); energy, vitality”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman puls, pous, pus, and Middle French pouls, poulz, pous [and other forms], Old French pous, pulz (“regular beat of arteries; place on the body where a pulse is detectable”) (modern French pouls), and from their etymon Latin pulsus (“beat, impulse, pulse, stroke; regular beat of arteries or the heart”), from pellō (“to drive, impel, propel, push; to banish, eject, expel; to set in motion; to strike”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“to beat, strike; to drive; to push, thrust”)) + -sus (a variant of -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs)).

Etymology 2

From Late Middle English pulse, Middle English pulsen (“to pulse, throb”), from Latin pulsāre, the present active infinitive of pulsō (“to push; to beat, batter, hammer, strike; to knock on; (figuratively) to drive or urge on, impel; to move; to agitate, disquiet, disturb”), the frequentative of pellō (“to drive, impel, propel, push; to banish, eject, expel; to set in motion; to strike”); see further at etymology 1. Doublet of push.

Etymology 3

From Middle English puls (“(collectively) seeds of a leguminous plant used as food; leguminous plants collectively; a species of leguminous plant”), Early Middle English pols (in compounds), possibly from Anglo-Norman pus, puz, Middle French pouls, pols, pous, and Old French pous, pou (“gruel, mash, porridge”) (perhaps in the sense of a gruel made from pulses), or directly from their etymon Latin puls (“meal (coarse-ground edible part of various grains); porridge”), probably from Ancient Greek πόλτος (póltos, “porridge made from flour”), from Proto-Indo-European pel- (“dust; flour”) (perhaps by extension from pel- (“to beat, strike; to drive; to push, thrust”), in the sense of something beaten).

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