Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pulse” come from?

Pulse comes from Latin pulsus, the past participle of pellere meaning to drive or push, which derives from Proto-Indo-European pelh₂- with the same sense.

pulse (English): A normally regular beat felt when arteries are...

Definitions

  1. A normally regular beat felt when arteries are...

Ancestry of “pulse”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishpulse—
2Latinpulsuspulse, impulse, beat, stroke; expelled, kicked...
3Latinpellō—
4Proto-Italicpelnōapproach, go to; bring close
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpelh₂-to approach
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpel-to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold

Words derived from “pulse”

  • pulseless
  • prepulse
  • monopulse
  • pulselessness
  • interpulse
  • multipulse
  • pulsebeat
  • pulsejet
  • intrapulse
  • micropulse
  • pulselike
  • subpulse
  • afterpulse
  • electropulse
  • pulsimeter
  • pulsific
  • pulsetrain
  • nonpulse
  • attopulse
  • aeropulse
  • wavepulse
  • puls
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pel- →