systole Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the contraction of the chambers of the heart (especially the ventricles) to drive blood into the aorta and pulmonary artery

WordNet

Sys"to*le noun
Etymology
NL., fr. Gr. , fr. to contract; with + to set, place.
Definitions
  1. (Gram.) The shortening of the long syllable.
  2. (Physiol.) The contraction of the heart and arteries by which the blood is forced onward and the circulation kept up; -- correlative to diastole.

Webster 1913