Sys"to*le (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to contract; sy`n with + &?; to set, place.]
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
Sys"to*le (?), n. (Physiol. & Biol.) The contraction of the heart and arteries by which the blood is forced onward and the circulation kept up; also, the contraction of a rhythmically pulsating contractile vacuole; -- correlative to diastole. -- Sys*tol"ic (#), a. © Webster 1913
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