n. [ L. appulsus, fr. appellere, appulsum, to drive to; ad + pellere to drive: cf. F. appulse. ] 1. A driving or running towards; approach; impulse; also, the act of striking against. [ 1913 Webster ]

In all consonants there is an appulse of the organs. Holder. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Astron.) The near approach of one heavenly body to another, or to the meridian; a coming into conjunction; as, the appulse of the moon to a star, or of a star to the meridian. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A driving or striking against; an appulse. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Striking against; impinging; as, the appulsive influence of the planets. P. Cyc. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. By appulsion. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ From L. compulsare, v. intens. of compellere. See Compel. ] Compulsatory. [ R. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. By compulsion. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Operating with force; compelling; forcing; constraining; resulting from, or enforced by, compulsion. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

To recover of us, by strong hand
And terms compulsatory, those foresaid lands. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. compulsio. See Compel. ] The act of compelling, or the state of being compelled; the act of driving or urging by force or by physical or moral constraint; subjection to force. [ 1913 Webster ]

If reasons were as plentiful as blackberries, I would give no man a reason upon compulsion. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

With what compulsion and laborious flight
We sunk thus low. Milton.

Syn. -- See Constraint. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having power to compel; exercising or applying compulsion. [ 1913 Webster ]

Religion is . . . inconsistent with all compulsive motives. Sharp. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. By compulsion; by force. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a compulsory manner; by force or constraint. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ LL. compulsorius. ] 1. Having the power of compulsion; constraining. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Obligatory; enjoined by authority; necessary; due to compulsion. [ 1913 Webster ]

This contribution threatening to fall infinitely short of their hopes, they soon made it compulsory. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. depulsus, p. p. of depellere to drive out; de- + pellere to drive. ] To drive away. [ Obs. ] Cockeram. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. depulsio. ] A driving or thrusting away. [ R. ] Speed. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. depulsorius. ] Driving or thrusting away; averting. [ R. ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ F. expulser or L. expulsare, intens. fr. expellere. See Expel. ] To drive out; to expel. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

If charity be thus excluded and expulsed. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An expeller. [ Obs. ] Cotgrave. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. expulsio, fr. expellere: cf. F. expulsion. See Expel. ] 1. The act of expelling; a driving or forcing out; summary removal from membership, association, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

The expulsion of the Tarquins. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being expelled or driven out. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. expulsif. ] Having the power of driving out or away; serving to expel. [ 1913 Webster ]

The expulsive power of a new affection. Chalmers. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Idio- + repulsive. ] Repulsive by itself; as, the idiorepulsive power of heat. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. impulsus, fr. impellere. See Impel. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The act of impelling, or driving onward with sudden force; impulsion; especially, force so communicated as to produced motion suddenly, or immediately. [ 1913 Webster ]

All spontaneous animal motion is performed by mechanical impulse. S. Clarke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The effect of an impelling force; motion produced by a sudden or momentary force. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mech.) The action of a force during a very small interval of time; the effect of such action; as, the impulse of a sudden blow upon a hard elastic body. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A mental force which simply and directly urges to action; hasty inclination; sudden motive; momentary or transient influence of appetite or passion; propension; incitement; as, a man of good impulses; passion often gives a violent impulse to the will; to buy something on impulse. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

These were my natural impulses for the undertaking. Dryden.

Syn. -- Force; incentive; influence; motive; feeling; incitement; instigation. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ See Impel. ] To impel; to incite. [ Obs. ] Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. to buy on impulse without proper reflection. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. impulsio: cf. F. impulsion. See Impel. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The act of impelling or driving onward, or the state of being impelled; the sudden or momentary agency of a body in motion on another body; also, the impelling force, or impulse. “The impulsion of the air.” Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Influence acting unexpectedly or temporarily on the mind; sudden motive or influence; impulse. “The impulsion of conscience.” Clarendon. “Divine impulsion prompting.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. impulsif. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Having the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent. [ 1913 Webster ]

Poor men! poor papers! We and they
Do some impulsive force obey. Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Actuated by impulse or by transient feelings. [ 1913 Webster ]

My heart, impulsive and wayward. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mech.) Acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous; -- said of forces. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. That which impels or gives an impulse; an impelling agent. Sir W. Wotton. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an impulsive manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being impulsive. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ] One who, or that which, impels; an inciter. [ R. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. propulsatio. See Propulse. ] The act of driving away or repelling; a keeping at a distance. [ Obs. ] Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. propulsare, v. intens. from propellere to propel. See Propel. ] To repel; to drive off or away. [ Obs. ] Cotgrave. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. propulsion. See Propel. ] 1. The act driving forward or away; the act or process of propelling; as, steam propulsion. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An impelling act or movement. [ 1913 Webster ]

God works in all things; all obey
His first propulsion. Whittier. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Tending, or having power, to propel; driving on; urging. “[ The ] propulsive movement of the verse.” Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Propulsive. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Pulsated p. pr. & vb. n. Pulsating. ] [ L. pulsatus, p. p. of pulsare to beat, strike, v. intens. fr. pellere to beat, strike, drive. See Pulse a beating, and cf. Pulse, v. ] To throb, as a pulse; to beat, as the heart. [ 1913 Webster ]

The heart of a viper or frog will continue to pulsate long after it is taken from the body. E. Darwin. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. It. pulsatile, Sp. pulsatil. ] 1. Capable of being struck or beaten; played by beating or by percussion; as, a tambourine is a pulsatile musical instrument. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Pulsating; throbbing, as a tumor. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL. ] (Bot.) A genus of ranunculaceous herbs including the pasque flower. This genus is now merged in Anemone. Some species, as Anemone Pulsatilla, Anemone pratensis, and Anemone patens, are used medicinally. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. pulsatio a beating or striking: cf. F. pulsation. ] 1. (Physiol.) A beating or throbbing, especially of the heart or of an artery, or in an inflamed part; a beat of the pulse. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A single beat or throb of a series. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A stroke or impulse by which some medium is affected, as in the propagation of sounds. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Law) Any touching of another's body willfully or in anger. This constitutes battery. [ 1913 Webster ]

By the Cornelian law, pulsation as well as verberation is prohibited. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. pulsatif. ] Beating; throbbing. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ] 1. A beater; a striker. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mech.) That which beats or throbs in working. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. pulsatoire. ] Capable of pulsating; throbbing. Sir H. Wotton. . [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. puls, L. puls, pultis, a thick pap or pottage made of meal, pulse, etc. See Poultice, and cf. Pousse. ] Leguminous plants, or their seeds, as beans, pease, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

If all the world
Should, in a pet of temperance, feed on pulse. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. pous, OF. pous, F. pouls, fr. L. pulsus (sc. venarum), the beating of the pulse, the pulse, from pellere, pulsum, to beat, strike; cf. Gr. &unr_; to swing, shake, &unr_; to shake. Cf. Appeal, Compel, Impel, Push. ] 1. (Physiol.) The beating or throbbing of the heart or blood vessels, especially of the arteries. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In an artery the pulse is due to the expansion and contraction of the elastic walls of the artery by the action of the heart upon the column of blood in the arterial system. On the commencement of the diastole of the ventricle, the semilunar valves are closed, and the aorta recoils by its elasticity so as to force part of its contents into the vessels farther onwards. These, in turn, as they already contain a certain quantity of blood, expand, recover by an elastic recoil, and transmit the movement with diminished intensity. Thus a series of movements, gradually diminishing in intensity, pass along the arterial system (see the Note under Heart). For the sake of convenience, the radial artery at the wrist is generally chosen to detect the precise character of the pulse. The pulse rate varies with age, position, sex, stature, physical and psychical influences, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any measured or regular beat; any short, quick motion, regularly repeated, as of a medium in the transmission of light, sound, etc.; oscillation; vibration; pulsation; impulse; beat; movement. [ 1913 Webster ]

The measured pulse of racing oars. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Pulse glass, an instrument consisting to a glass tube with terminal bulbs, and containing ether or alcohol, which the heat of the hand causes to boil; -- so called from the pulsating motion of the liquid when thus warmed. --
Pulse wave (Physiol.), the wave of increased pressure started by the ventricular systole, radiating from the semilunar valves over the arterial system, and gradually disappearing in the smaller branches. [ 1913 Webster ] the pulse wave travels over the arterial system at the rate of about 29.5 feet in a second. H. N. Martin. [ 1913 Webster ] --
To feel one's pulse. (a) To ascertain, by the sense of feeling, the condition of the arterial pulse. (b) Hence, to sound one's opinion; to try to discover one's mind. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To beat, as the arteries; to move in pulses or beats; to pulsate; to throb. Ray. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ See Pulsate, Pulse a beating. ] To drive by a pulsation; to cause to pulsate. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having no pulsation; lifeless. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being pulseless. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pulse + L. facere to make. ] Exciting the pulse; causing pulsation. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pulse + -meter. ] (Physiol.) A sphygmograph. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. pulsio, fr. pellere, pulsum, to drive: cf. F. pulsion. ] The act of driving forward; propulsion; -- opposed to suction or traction. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]