noun the shortening of the long syllable.
2. systole ·noun the contraction of the heart and arteries by which the blood is forced onward and the circulation kept up;
correlative to diastole.
3. systole ·add. ·noun 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.