adj
systolic
adj
1
Relating to systole, the phase when the heart contracts and pumps blood.
"His systolic blood pressure reading was slightly higher than normal."
How to Use Systolic
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDescribes the heart-contraction phase measured in a blood pressure reading — the higher of the two numbers.
Common pairings
systolic pressure
systolic blood pressure
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His _____ blood pressure reading was slightly higher than normal.
Etymology
From "systole" plus the adjective suffix "-ic," ultimately from Ancient Greek systole.