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Pulse vs Oscillate - What's the difference?

pulse | oscillate | Synonyms |

As verbs the difference between pulse and oscillate

is that pulse is to beat, to throb, to flash while oscillate is to swing back and forth, especially if with a regular rhythm.

As a noun pulse

is a normally regular beat felt when arteries are depressed, caused by the pumping action of the heart.

pulse

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) . For spelling, the -e'' (on ''-lse ) is so the end is pronounced /ls/, rather than /lz/ as in pulls, and does not change the vowel (‘u’). Compare else, false, convulse.

Noun

(en noun)
  • (physiology) A normally regular beat felt when arteries are depressed, caused by the pumping action of the heart.
  • A beat or throb.
  • * (rfdate) Tennyson
    • the measured pulse of racing oars
  • * (rfdate) Burke
    • When the ear receives any simple sound, it is struck by a single pulse of the air, which makes the eardrum and the other membranous parts vibrate according to the nature and species of the stroke.
  • (music) The beat or tactus of a piece of music.
  • An autosoliton.
    • Related terms
    * (l) * (l)
    See also
    * beat * (Physiology) arrhythmia, blood pressure, heartbeat * (Music) meter, tempo

    Verb

  • To beat, to throb, to flash.
    • In the dead of night, all was still but the pulsing light.
  • To flow, particularly of blood.
    • Hot blood pulses through my veins.
  • To emit in discrete quantities.

    • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) pouls, .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Any annual legume yielding from 1 to 12 grains or seeds of variable size, shape and colour within a pod, and used as food for humans or animals.

    • References

    * * * DeLone et. al. (Eds.) (1975). Aspects of Twentieth-Century Music. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0130493465.

    External links

    * (pulse) *

    Anagrams

    * * ----

    oscillate

    English

    Verb

    (oscillat)
  • To swing back and forth, especially if with a regular rhythm.
    • A pendulum oscillates slower as it gets longer.
  • To vacillate between conflicting opinions, etc.
    • The mood for change oscillated from day to day.
  • To vary above and below a mean value.

    • Derived terms

    * oscillation * oscillator

    See also

    * undulate

    External links

    * * * English intransitive verbs ----