Pulse Is a Heartbeat and a Lentil
A pulse is the rhythmic beat of blood. A separate word of the same spelling means beans and lentils.
A pulse is the rhythmic throbbing of blood through the arteries, and by extension any regular beat. A completely separate word spelled the same names the edible seeds of legumes — lentils, chickpeas, beans. That pulse comes from Latin *puls*, a thick porridge; the heartbeat comes from *pellere*, to drive or push. The United Nations declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses, meaning the lentils. The medical sense also gives *impulse*, *compel* and *propel*.
- A heartbeat. *Take his pulse.*
- A regular beat. *The pulse of the music.*
- Edible legume seeds. *Pulses like lentils.*
- To throb. *The vein pulsed.*
- Latin — *pellere*, to drive. *The heartbeat source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | pulse | A steady pulse. |
| Verb | pulse | It pulsed. |
| Adjective | pulsating | Pulsating. |
| Related | impulse | An impulse. |
| Latin | puls | Porridge. |
- Her pulse was steady.Medical.
- Pulses are a cheap source of protein.Food.
- He kept his finger on the pulse of the market.Idiom.
The pellere family
- Pulse — blood driven through the arteries
- Impulse — a drive from within
- Compel — to drive together, to force
- Propel — to drive forward
- Repel — to drive back
Latin *pulsus*, a beating, from *pellere*, to drive. The legume sense is from Latin *puls*, a thick porridge of meal.
Why are lentils called pulses?
From Latin puls, a thick porridge made from meal. It is a different word from the pulse in your wrist.
What does finger on the pulse mean?
Being closely aware of current developments, from the doctor's habit of checking a patient's pulse.