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Where does the word "pulse" come from? It comes from Latin pulsus, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
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Where does the word "pulse" come from? It comes from Latin pulsus, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Pulse’s story begins in Latin: pulsus meant “beating.” From 'pellere', to drive, the root of 'propel'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as pouls. Doctors read the pulse. It reached English by 1300s as pulse. Electrical 'pulses' date from the 1900s. Today, pulse means the rhythmic beat of blood in the arteries.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient pulsus "beating", from 'pellere', to drive, the root of 'propel'.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval pouls "pulse", doctors read the pulse.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s pulse "heartbeat", electrical 'pulses' date from the 1900s.