(1):
(n.) The shortening of the long syllable.
(2):
(n.) The contraction of the heart and arteries by which the blood is forced onward and the circulation kept up; - correlative to diastole.
(3):
(n.) 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.