diastoles

Noun

diastole (usually uncountable, plural diastoles)

1. (usually) The phase or process of relaxation and dilation of the heart chambers, between contractions, during which they fill with blood; an instance of the process.
   • […] I did almoſt beleeve, that the motion of the Heart vvas knovvn to God alone: For neither could I rightly diſtinguiſh, vvhich vvay the Diaſtole and Systole came to be, nor vvhen nor vvhere the dilation and conſtriction had its exiſtence.1653, William Harvey, “The Causes which Mov’d the Author to Write”, in [anonymous], transl., The Anatomical Exercises of Dr. William Harvey […] Concerning the Motion of the Heart and Blood. […]...
2. (rhetoric, usually) The lengthening of a vowel or syllable beyond its typical length.
   • I have inserted diastole which is omitted in Putschius, an insertion which both the complement, and the subsequent text make necessary.1815 March and June, On the Greek and Latin Accents, The Classical Journal, Volume XI, page 81
3. (Greek, usually) The hypodiastole, a textual or punctuation mark formerly used to disambiguate homonyms in Greek.