"condition in which a weakened heart remains continually filled with blood," 1860, medical Latin, from Greek a- "not, without" (see a- (3)) + systolē "contraction" (see systole).
Entries linking to asystole
a- 3
prefix meaning "not, without," from Greek a-, an- "not" (the "alpha privative"), from PIE root *ne- "not" (source also of English un-).
In words from Greek, such as abysmal, adamant, amethyst; also partly nativized as a prefix of negation (asexual, amoral, agnostic). The ancient alpha privatum, denoting want or absence.
Greek also had an alpha copulativum, a- or ha-, expressing union or likeness, which is the a- expressing "together" in acolyte, acoustic, Adelphi, etc. It is from PIE root *sem- (1) "one; as one, together with."
systole n.
"periodic contraction of the heart and arteries," 1570s, from Greek systole "a drawing together, contraction," from syn- "together" (see syn-) + stem related to stellein "to bring together, draw in; to put, set, place," from PIE *stel-yo-, suffixed form of root *stel- "to put, stand, put in order," with derivatives referring to a standing object or place.