​PULSE. (1) (O. Fr. pols, Lat. puls, pultis, Gr. πόλτος, a porridge of beans, peas, &c.), in botany, a collective term for beans, peas, and other members of the order Leguminosae (q.v.), which is characterized by having a legume or pod for the fruit. (2) (M. Eng. pous, pouce, O. Fr. paus, mod. pousse, Lat. pulsus, sc. venarum, the beating of the veins, pellere, to drive, beat), throbbing or beating; in physiology the rhythmical beating due to the changes of blood-tension in the arteries consequent on the contractions of their elastic tissues (see Vascular System).