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Definition of "diastole" [di•as•to•le]

  • Physiology The normal rhythmically occurring relaxation and dilatation of the heart chambers, especially the ventricles, during which they fill with blood. (noun)
  • The lengthening of a normally short syllable in Greek and Latin verse. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "diastole" in a sentence
  • "This occurs when the lower chambers of the heart -- the ventricles -- become stiff and cannot fully relax during the pumping stage called diastole, when the ventricles fill with blood."
  • "Nor will they forgive us every time we escape from them -- without a trace -- on the diastole of a spasm."
  • "Diastole and systole, diastole and systole, not arrhythmia."