palpitate

When you watch scary movies, do you ever feel your heart palpitate? This means it beats quickly.

To correctly pronounce palpitate, say: "PAL-pih-tate." Hearts aren't the only thing that can palpitate; your whole body might palpitate, or shiver. You can also palpitate something, such as what a medical professional does to a patient's heart to make it beat, potentially saving his or her life. Palpitate comes from the Latin word palpare, "to stroke."