Systole

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈsɪstÉ™li/

Origin

From New Latin, from Ancient Greek συστολή, from συστέλλειν (sustellein, "to contract"), from σύν (sun, "together") + στέλλειν (stellein, "send").

Full definition of systole

Noun

1. (physiology) The rhythmic contraction of the heart, by which blood is driven through the arteries.
• 1972, Vladimir Nabokov, Transparent Things, McGraw-Hill 1972, pp. 78-9:A double systole catapulted him into full consciousness again, and he promised his uncorrected self that he would limit his daily ration of cigarettes to a couple of heartbeats.
• 1974, Anthony Burgess, The Clockwork Testament:There is no essential virtue in comfort. To be relaxed is good if it is part of a process of systole and diastole. Relaxation comes between phases of tenseness.
2. (prosody) A shortening of a naturally long vowel.

Antonyms

• diastole

Hypernyms

• (prosody) metaplasm

Derived terms

• asystole
• systolic

Anagrams

• tyloses