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 ]

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

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

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Repulsed p. pr. & vb. n. Repulsing. ] [ L. repulsus, p. p. of repellere. See Repel. ] 1. To repel; to beat or drive back; as, to repulse an assault; to repulse the enemy. [ 1913 Webster ]

Complete to have discovered and repulsed
Whatever wiles of foe or seeming friend. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To repel by discourtesy, coldness, or denial; to reject; to send away; as, to repulse a suitor or a proffer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. repulsa, fr. repellere, repulsum. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The act of repelling or driving back; also, the state of being repelled or driven back. [ 1913 Webster ]

By fate repelled, and with repulses tired. Denham. [ 1913 Webster ]

He received in the repulse of Tarquin seven hurts in the body. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Figuratively: Refusal; denial; rejection; failure. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not capable of being repulsed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who repulses, or drives back. [ 1913 Webster ]