palpitate

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   of the heart: to beat rapidly, strongly, or irregularly, especially from exertion or emotion

   His heart began to palpitate as the footsteps approached.

2. 2
   verb

   to tremble, pulsate, or move with small rapid beats

   The thin membrane seemed to palpitate in the current of air.

Borrowed from Latin palpitare ('to throb, quiver, or flutter'), an iterative form associated with repeated small movements. English retained both the literal sense of rapid bodily motion and the specialized sense of a noticeably racing or irregular heartbeat.

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