throbn.
/θrɒb/, U.S. /θrɑb/ 1. A spasm of pain; a pulsating pain or ache.In early use frequently with reference to the pain of childbirth.
ΚΠ
1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 50 As the throbbes and throwes in chyldbirth wrought hir payne.
1615 E. Grimeston tr. P. d'Avity Estates 965 They might be the more strong, able, and apt to suffer and endure the paines and throbs of child-bed.
1765 T. Short Gen. Treat. Var. Cold Mineral Waters 212 A gentlewoman..sent for half a gross of the water, drank it, and never felt a throb of pain after.
1823 H. Horne Citizen of Nature iv. 19 My eyes ached from gazing upwards, with a painful throb.
1855 Ld. Tennyson Daisy in Maud & Other Poems 144 Perchance, to lull the throbs of pain.
1908 Scrap Bk. Nov. 892/2 The quick, sharp throb caused by the final cut that Purlin gave to the handle as it broke in his hand.
1997 P. Pullman Subtle Knife (1998) ix. 201 His wound was hurting worse than before, with a deep unceasing throb.
2006 J. Updike Terrorist iii. 138 She lets herself flop back into the La-Z-Boy, and levers up the foot-rest to ease the throb in her ankles.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > weeping > [noun] > sobbing > a sob
yeskeOE
sobbingc1300
sobc1374
throb1579
singult1590
snub1737
singultus1824
yoop1847
1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. May f. 19 A thrilling throbbe [glossed a percing sighe] from her hart did aryse, And interrupted all her other speache.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. ix. sig. Nn2v Still as she stood, she heard with grieuous throb Him grone, as if his hart were peeces made.
1612 Mr. King tr. Benvenuto Passenger ii. i. 361 Throbbes, yellings, teares.
1678 tr. J. de Préchac Eng. Princess 153 At these words animated by throbs, sighs, and tears..it was not in the power of poor Suffolk any longer to resist.
1700 P. Motteux et al. tr. M. de Cervantes Hist. Don Quixote I. ii. xiii. 313 This Sonnet concluded with a deep Sigh, and such doleful Throbs that the Curate and the Barber..resolv'd instantly to find out who this mournful Songster was.
3.
a. A violent pulsation or beat of the heart, an artery, etc., esp. as caused by strong emotion or excitement; forceful or rapid beating of the heart or pulse.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > vascular system > circulation > pulsation > [noun] > types of pulsation
throb1597
fluttering1719
elevation1725
frequency1732
wallop1787
bradycardia1890
tricrotism1891
1597 J. Lyly Woman in Moone i. i. 171 What throbs are these that labour in my brest?
1635 J. Hawkins tr. P. Aretino Paraphr. Seaven Psalmes iii. 98 Nor euer will [I] take to me a minute of repose from my griefe, and heauy heart's throbbs.
1687 I. Mather Serm. preached at Boston 11 Mar. 1686 (ed. 2) 45 He would behold Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God, appearing before divine Justice in his room, adding unto this Cast of his Eye, this Throb of his heart.
1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 76. ⁋6 Another lenitive by which the throbs of the breast are assuaged.
1827 W. Scott Surgeon's Daughter in Chron. Canongate 1st Ser. II. viii. 186 The feverish throb of his pulsation was diminished.
1889 ‘M. Gray’ Reproach of Annesley I. vi. ii. 209 His heart gave a strong throb.
1905 Metrop. Mag. Mar. 685/1 There was the same quick throb from the heart of the watcher.
1988 P. Sayer Comforts of Madness (1989) xiii. 79 You're not meant to remember what happens to you during a fit, but I can recall everything, the throb to my temples, the taste of blood in my mouth.
2000 Birmingham Evening Mail (Nexis) 1 Apr. 54 It is the eve of the Wembley semi-final and no doubt he does feel the throb of his heart when he talks of the heavy silver trophy.
b. figurative. A sudden intense burst of emotion or strong feeling; a pang or spasm of pleasure, desire, regret, hatred, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > [noun] > throb of emotion
heartbeat1827
throb1836
spasm1837
1749 T. Smollett Regicide v. i. 66 Whose fev'rous Life..feels th' incessant Throb Of ghastly Pannic!
1797 C. Lloyd in Poems S. T. Coleridge (ed. 2) 163 Hope, that disease of the mind, Which wakes the keen throb of desire.
1836 W. Irving Astoria I. 243 He..felt a throb of his old pioneer spirit, impelling him to..join the adventurous band.
1843 F. Trollope Jessie Phillips III. lii. 234 There was no answering throb of remorse within.
1867 Macmillan's Mag. Sept. 381/2 When our voluntary endeavours are successful, a distinct throb of pleasure is the result.
1905 T. T. Fortune Dreams of Life 60 Will it..feel one throb of sad regret That 'tis no more my slave?
1943 A. Stringer Shadowed Victory 33 The throb of rapture and the thin regret That threw a mist about brief happiness.
2012 C. Clare City of Lost Souls i. 27 A little throb of hatred went through her, warming her icy blood.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > [noun] > instance or act of lamenting
moan?c1225
mean?c1250
bimena1325
lamentation1382
queryc1400
pinec1440
tragedy1536
lamentc1592
complaint?1606
conclamation1627
quiritation1634
throb1635
pathetic1667
dismals1774
jeremiad1780
complain1820
tangi1836
Jobism1855
wail1867
rune1922
vigil1956
the world > life > death > obsequies > formal or ceremonial mourning > [noun] > formal lamentation > dirge
elegy?1521
coronach1559
dirge1568
requiem1578
threne1593
threnos1601
death song1613
monody1623
threnody1634
throb1635
trental1648
lament1698
myriologue1824
keen1830
threnode1858
1635 T. Jackson Humiliation Sonne of God 266 The deepe straine of this particular threne or throb.
5.
a. A regular pulsation; a steady rhythmic pulsating or vibrating sound.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > pulsation > [noun] > a pulsation
pulse1616
throb1651
pulsation1832
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > repeated sound or succession of sounds > [noun] > regular or alternating rhythm
cadence1667
throb throb1857
clip-clop1863
chip-chop1876
rum-tum1879
pom-pom1892
throb1892
heartbeat1898
bounce1937
plip-plop1953
1651 Bp. J. Taylor Rule & Exercises Holy Dying i. §3 29 While he told the sands of his hour-glasse, or the throbs and little beatings of his watch.
1830 R. Montgomery Satan i. 23 A throb of thunder, faintly heard.
1870 Nature 16 June 132/1 The lozenge-shaped appearances..were accompanied by the ‘throbs’ of the eruption.
1892 A. C. Gunter Miss Dividends (1893) 184 Every throb of the locomotive..bears him away from Erma Travenion.
1931 J. Mockford Khama xxiii. 157 To the throb and wail of these kafir pianos the big-bodied, lusty mine-boys dance freely in two long lines.
1972 Audubon Nov. 72/2 I had heard it—a clear whistled whee-lier, whee-lier, whee-lier, which became a sort of throb before dying away.
2016 London Rev. Bks. 5 May 23/1 The platform vibrates with the throb of what sounds like the engine of a large ship.
b. A regular beat or pulsation of the heart, an artery, etc.; the steady beating of the heart or pulse (without implication of unusual force or rapidity).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > vascular system > circulation > pulsation > [noun] > diastole
pulsea1398
diastole1578
pulsation1612
throb1653
tick1823
1653 Bp. J. Taylor XXV Serm. xvii. 231 Though it [sc. the heart] strikes to one side by the prerogative of Nature, yet those throbs and constant motions are felt on the other side also.
1777 J. Relly Christian Hymns 38 His dear friendly Heart beats Throb for Throb with mine.
1844 Ladies' Repository Feb. 62/1 The heart..Pours not to the cheek its currents of bloom, For its throbs are stilled in the voiceless tomb!
1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon I. 230 The throb of the pulse in the temple.
1908 H. Carrington Vitality, Fasting & Nutrition iii. 460 The pulse is merely the throb of any artery in the body, due to the heart pumping the blood through it in jets or spurts.
1936 Boys' Life Mar. 49/1 It [sc. a heart] was still beating, weakly, irregularly, with moments when the faint throb almost seemed to cease.
2011 S. Kempton Medit. for Love of It iv. 103 If you do not immediately feel the subtle pulsation, focus on the throb of your heartbeat.
c. figurative. A steady pulse of energy, life, etc.; vibrancy, vitality, liveliness.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [noun] > vigour or liveliness > in things
spirit1588
throb1913
1913 Industr. Socialism (Industr. Socialist Propaganda League N.Y.) 3 Of late years a new throb, a mighty pulsation has caught the brains and hearts of class-conscious wage workers.
1948 J. Kerouac Jrnl. 14 Aug. in Windblown World (2004) 118 Tells marvelous absurd stories; also makes impassioned speeches about the ‘throb’ of America.
2011 Guardian (Nexis) 28 Nov. 29 There's no throb of life to the place where you live.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
throbv.
/θrɒb/, U.S. /θrɑb/ 1. Of the heart, pulse, an artery, etc.
a. intransitive. To beat or pulsate with more than usual force or rapidity, esp. as the result of strong emotion or excitement; to palpitate, pound. Also in extended use of the mind, the soul, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > vascular system > circulation > pulsation > [verb (intransitive)] > types of pulsation
panta1500
leap1526
throb1542
vermiculate1706
flutter1714
wallop1766
thump1785
rise1819
race1853
a1450 (a1387) [implied in: W. Langland Piers Plowman (Rawl.) (1960) A. xii. l. 48 (MED) I..þanked hure a þousand syþes with þrobbant herte. (at throbbing adj. a)].
1542 in State Papers Henry VIII (1849) IX. 124 My hart frobbed exceedingly.
?1553 Respublica (1952) i. iii. 6 But een as against suche a thing my harte wyll throbbe.
1567 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure II. xxiv. f. 210v His conscience throbbed, and his mind measured the malice of that woman.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Titus Andronicus (1623) v. iii. 94 Your hearts will throb and weepe to heare him speake.
1620 tr. G. Boccaccio Decameron I. iii. v. f. 92 Her soule throbbing, sighes intermixing, and complexion altering.
1658 A. Burgess Doctr. Orig. Sin 53 He went from place to place, his heart aking and throbbing, crying out, Oh that I had never been a man!
1738 A. Pope One Thousand Seven Hundred & Thirty Eight 7 No Cheek is known to blush, no Heart to throb.
1740 S. Richardson Pamela II. 44 O my exulting Heart! how it throbs in my Bosom.
1825 J. Neal Brother Jonathan III. 206 His temples throbbed—his head rang.
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xxx. 264 His pulse was throbbing and his cheeks flushed.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xi. 81 At each pause my heart throbbed audibly.
1865 A. C. Swinburne Rococo 55 Throbs through the heart of pleasure The purpler blood of pain.
1908 W. S. Churchill Let. c16 Aug. in W. S. Churchill & C. S. Churchill Speaking for Themselves (1999) i. 16 The sun shines bright, & my heart throbs to see you again.
1988 N.Y. Times 2 Oct. (Sports section) 8/5 The pitcher..lay awake in his bed in Toronto, his mind throbbing with painful memory.
2014 T. Brittain-Catlin Bleak Houses i. 19 You went out dancing on a Saturday night with your veins throbbing, but on Monday nothing changed.
b. intransitive. To beat or pulsate (without implication of unusual force or rapidity).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > vascular system > circulation > pulsation > [verb (intransitive)]
beatc1200
pulse?a1425
strike1583
pulsate1674
throb1725
tick1868
1653 [implied in: Bp. J. Taylor XXV Serm. xvii. 231 Though it [sc. the heart] strikes to one side by the prerogative of Nature, yet those throbs and constant motions are felt on the other side also. (at throb n. b)].
1725 N. Robinson New Theory of Physick 27 The Hearts of several Animals..will throb and beat, some time after they have been exempted from the Body.
1796 M. G. Lewis Monk III. xi. 193 Gradually he felt the bosom which rested against his glow with returning warmth. Her heart throbbed again, her blood flowed swifter, and her lips moved.
1831 W. Scott Castle Dangerous xiii, in Tales of my Landlord 4th Ser. IV. 325 Whose cause..the champions..were bound to avenge while the blood throbbed in their veins.
1881 St. James's Mag. May 348 They are but mortal, do but live So long as the quick, animating soul Throbs in their confines.
1906 in R. W. Thompson Memorial 120 To lay our..wreathes of immortelles upon breasts no longer throbbing to our touch.
1915 Amer. Jrnl. Theol. 19 252 Like a corpse whose heart no longer throbs.
2007 N.Y. Sun (Nexis) 22 Aug. (N.Y. section) 1 ‘Medium clips, size two,’ he said, gazing into the patient's open chest cavity, where a pale, pink heart throbbed rhythmically.
2. † a. intransitive. Of an animal: to twist, tremble, or writhe in fear or distress. Obsolete. rare.In quot. with reference to the movements of a hunted boar attempting to escape the hounds.† b. intransitive. Of a person: to catch the breath convulsively or make a similar audible sign of emotion or distress; to sob, to sigh. Obsolete.In quot. 1591 transitive: (perhaps) to convey or express with sobbing or quivering.
ΚΠ
a1450 in Poems J. Audelay (1931) 217 (MED) Me þoȝt hit noȝt bot a þrow To se how he þrobyt and þrew.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > sighing > sigh [verb (intransitive)]
sichec893
sikec1175
sigh1377
to sigh unsound?a1400
sightc1450
sithec1450
throb1557
to break a sigh1765
heave1820
sock1863
the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > weeping > weep [verb (intransitive)] > sob
yesklOE
soba1200
snobc1300
yeskenc1450
throb1557
snub1621
sike1841
1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes (new ed.) f. 81 In nothing els had he delight. But euen to be a martyr right. And now to call her by her name And straight therwith to sigh and throbbe.
1580 A. Saker Narbonus i. 110 Now shee wronge her handes, and now shee throbbed: now she sobbed, and then shee sighed.
1591 Troublesome Raigne Iohn i. sig. E4 Deepe sorrow throbbeth misbefalne euents.
1620 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes 2nd Pt. Don Quixote lxxiv. 499 Alas and wellady, my good Sir, answered Sancho throbbing and weeping, yeeld not vnto death I pray you.
1681 H. Hare Scala Santa 57 I have ceased from crying and throbbing, as at the Mother's command the Child doth.
c. intransitive. Of a person or group of people: to tremble or quiver with joy, fear, etc.; to feel or exhibit strong emotion. Also of a thing: to pulsate with a particular quality or feeling. In later use frequently with with.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > aspects of emotion > manifestation of emotion > manifest itself [verb (intransitive)] > quiver or throb with emotion
tremble1303
quiver1490
flichter1528
throb1743
1743 R. Blair Grave 10 Like..Victim..That throbs beneath the Sacrificer's Knife.
1841 R. W. Emerson Love in Ess. 1st Ser. (London ed.) 176 We..throb at the recollection of days when happiness was not happy enough.
1863 A. W. Kinglake Invasion of Crimea I. xxviii. 468 A vast empire was made to throb with the passions which rent the bosom of the one man Nicholas.
1878 R. W. Dale Lect. Preaching (ed. 3) ix. 278 I like to have two or three hymns throbbing with emotion.
1906 Strand Mag. June 489/1 If the man were here she could not be far away; and I throbbed at the thought.
1977 A. Thwaite Portion for Foxes 11 The tourists' brochure throbs with reverence.
1995 Independent on Sunday 24 Dec. (Real Lives section) 2/2 People think you're positively mardy if you don't throb with delight at the prospect of Christmas games.
3. transitive. To cause to beat or pulsate, esp. with more than usual force or rapidity, typically as a result of intense emotion or feeling. Also figurative.In quot. 1600 apparently: to press or squeeze repeatedly.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > intense emotion > affect intensely [verb (transitive)]
thirlc1315
piercec1390
thrilla1400
strikec1475
throb1600
penetratea1616
heart-strikea1637
transfix1649
sink1771
shoot1842
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > pulsation > cause to pulsate [verb (transitive)]
throb1600
1600 Wisdome Doctor Dodypoll i. sig. B3 Then hee throbs me in his armes, as if he had gotten a great iewell by the eare.
1606 W. Warner Continuance Albions Eng. xv. xciv. 376 I know not why, but sure it throbs my heart of late.
1746 London Mag. June 311 The aching smart, That throbs the bosom, and rends thy heart.
1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel II. 200 That intense, enthusiastic glow That throbs the bosom.
1887 Los Angeles Times 3 Feb. 9/2 I resolutioned on that day, As spirits throbbed my head.
1911 T. B. Kilpatrick New Test. Evangelism 105 Samuel Rutherford..whose passionate devotion throbs his letters.
1939 T. S. Eliot Family Reunion i. ii. 59 The cold spring now is the time For the ache in the moving root..The slow flow throbbing the trunk.
2011 New Scientist 9 Apr. 48 The plumes of the blue bird of paradise..are even more profuse. He shows them off by hanging upside down and throbbing them.
4.
a. intransitive. Of an emotion, thought, etc.: to be felt or experienced intensely or persistently. Cf. pulsate v. 1b, pulse v. 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > [verb (intransitive)] > throb
throb1612
1612 I. M. tr. Most Famous Hist. Meruine i. 12 Woe is mee, a mightie suspition throbbeth in mine heart, lest your wife should imagine you haue begot this childe of mee.
1719 E. Young Busiris i. 7 While the big Woe lies throbbing at my Heart.
1799 H. Lee Canterbury Tales (ed. 2) I. 233 Fear still throbbed over her frame.
1819 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto II cxxxiv. 186 Not even a vision of his former woes Throbb'd in accursed dreams.
1819 W. Irving Royal Poet in Sketch Bk. iii. 183 It is curious, too, to..find the simple affections of human nature throbbing under the ermine.
1881 H. James Portrait of Lady I. xv. 181 A feeling of freedom which..occasionally throbbed into joyous excitement.
1911 C. T. Brady Chalice of Courage (1912) xvi. 224 She ever welcomed him with eager gratitude and satisfaction which would shine in her eyes, throb in her heart and tremble upon her lips.
1959 Mich. Alumnus Q. Rev. Winter 130/2 Here is passion throbbing in words—here the primal magic.
2013 J. Scudamore Wreaking xl. 336 She sees his coping mechanisms, and guilt throbs inside her.
b. intransitive. Of a part of the body, a wound, etc.: to ache with a pulsating pain. Of pain or an ache: to pulsate, pound.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > pain > types of pain > suffer or cause type of pain [verb (intransitive)] > throb
throb1616
flick1889
1616 J. Dyke D. Dyke's Two Treat.: Repentance & Christs Temptations i. ii. 30 Whole sores throb and rage. Ease is by breaking.
1710 J. Swift in J. Swift & R. Steele Tatler No. 238 A coming Shower your shooting Corns presage, Old Aches throb, your hollow Tooth will rage.
1785 W. Cowper Task iv. 47 Who patient stands till his feet throb, And his head thumps.
1869 Trans. Homeopathic Med. Soc. State N.Y. 7 99 Severe frontal headache. The pain throbbing.
1901 New Eng. Mag. July 548/2 A dull pain throbbed in sullen protest.
1988 P. Pullman Shadow in North xxii. 257 Jim's leg was throbbing vilely.
2006 G. Mortenson & D. O. Relin Three Cups of Tea (2007) xviii. 237 Sometimes it [sc. his shoulder] throbbed so unignorably that he popped fifteen or twenty Advil a day.
5.
a. intransitive. To move or be moved with a regular or rhythmic pulsation; to pulsate, vibrate; to sound with a pulsating beat or rhythm.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > pulsation > pulsate [verb (intransitive)]
beatc1200
quopa1382
quavea1387
flack1393
flackerc1400
whopc1440
flicker1488
throb1788
pulse1851
pulsate1861
1788 Trans. Royal Irish Acad. 1787 1 Polite Literature 79 They nimbly course, they throb, they beat, Thro' ev'ry vital seat.
1847 R. W. Emerson Poems 70 And God said, Throb; and there was motion, And the vast mass became vast ocean.
1865 J. G. Holland Plain Talks ii. 74 Her whole being throbbed and sparkled like the sea.
1870 W. Morris Earthly Paradise: Pt. IV 15 The very air..Throbbed with sweet scent.
1889 A. Conan Doyle Micah Clarke viii. 59 One great beacon throbbed upon the summit of Bulster.
1905 R. Garnett William Shakespeare Pedagogue & Poacher 106 The verdant level and the slow canal Shall bristle with our pikes, throb with our drums.
1965 E. Mannin Burning Bush i. ii. 29 American dance music throbbed from an apartment opposite.
2004 Dive Sept. 36 Here they gather into a dome-shaped super-shoal that throbs and pulsates as groups burst upwards to spawn.
b. intransitive. Of a mechanical device, esp. an engine: to make a steady rhythmic pulsating or vibrating sound during operation. Of a vehicle: to be powered or moved by an engine making this sound.Also transitive: (of a vehicle) to make (its way) with the engine making this sound.
ΚΠ
1831 Boston Masonic Mirror 30 Apr. 349/1 I pity her poor thing [sc. a steamboat].., she throbs so!
1853 Illustr. Mag. Art 1 99/1 The two great steam-engines are continually throbbing and panting with the quantity of work before them.
1864 J. R. Lowell Fireside Trav. 111 We embarked on the little steamer M., and were soon throbbing up the lake.
1873 W. Black Princess of Thule viii. 136 Then the big steamer throbbed its way out of the harbour.
1898 M. T. Earle Man who worked for Collister 279 In the silence he could hear the coast train throbbing far beyond the bay.
1901 H. G. Wells in Strand Mag. Dec. 623/2 ‘You really think such a thing is possible?’.. ‘As possible,’ said Gibberne, and glanced at something that went throbbing by the window, ‘as a motor-bus’.
1914 Illinois Central Mag. Aug. 92/1 Her [sc. a locomotive's] body quivered, her air pump throbbed.
2009 T. Wayman Woodstock Rising vi. 149 A perpetual din suffused the district: unmufflered car and truck engines throbbed by.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1578
v.a1450