Definition

Related to the phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle relaxes and fills with blood.

Example

The doctor explained that the diastolic pressure is an important measure of heart health.

Conversation

Have you ever heard about diastolic pressure in blood tests?

Yeah, isn’t that the measurement when the heart is at rest?

Exactly! It's important for understanding heart health.

I should probably pay more attention to those numbers next time.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Diastolic → It is formed from "diastole" (from Greek "diastolē", meaning dilation or expansion) and the suffix "-ic" (meaning pertaining to). The term "diastolic" refers to the phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle relaxes and the chambers fill with blood, thus relating to the dilation of the heart chambers.

Memory Tip

Think of 'diastole' meaning 'dilation' — this helps you remember that 'diastolic' refers to the phase when the heart is relaxed and filling with blood.

Visually Confused Words