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heartbeat

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Idioms, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.03 sec.

heartbeat

(1) A periodic signal generated by hardware for activation and/or synchronization purposes. See MHz.

(2) A periodic signal generated by hardware or software to indicate that it is still running.

heartbeat [′härt‚bēt]
(physiology)
Pulsation of the heart coincident with ventricular systole.
1.(networking)heartbeat - The signal emitted by a Level 2 Ethernet transceiver at the end of every packet to show that the collision-detection circuit is still connected.
2.heartbeat - A periodic synchronisation signal used by software or hardware, such as a bus clock or a periodic interrupt.
3.heartbeat - The "natural" oscillation frequency of a computer's clock crystal, before frequency division down to the machine's clock rate.
4.heartbeat - A signal emitted at regular intervals by software to demonstrate that it is still alive. Sometimes hardware is designed to reboot the machine if it stops hearing a heartbeat. See also breath-of-life packet, watchdog.


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While it endures, the temperature falls, the respiration disappears, the heartbeat is indistinguishable--in fact, it IS death, save that it is evanescent.
The Poison Belt by Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan View in context
She lay back that white an' still she might easy be dead; but Miss Polly said she wa'n't dead--an' Miss Polly had oughter know, if any one would--she kept up such a listenin' an' a feelin' for her heartbeats an' her breath
Pollyanna by Porter, Eleanor H. View in context
He stopped beside her, feeling for her pulse and then listening for her heartbeats.
Tarzan of the Apes by Burroughs, Edgar Rice View in context
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