Main Entry: sys·to·le

Pronunciation: \ˈsis-tə-(ˌ)lē\

Function: noun

Etymology: Greek systolē, from systellein to contract, from syn- + stellein to send

Date: 1578

: a rhythmically recurrent contraction; especially : the contraction of the heart by which the blood is forced onward and the circulation kept up

— sys·tol·ic \sis-ˈtä-lik\ adjective