Emily Dickinson Lexicon

beat (beating), v. [Germanic.] (webplay: brains, break, drum, felt, find, heart, just, lay, lower, roll, sea, seamanship, storm, time, tread, walk, wind).

1. Hit; swat; smack; clobber; repeatedly strike; lay on continuous physical blows; [fig.] abuse; mistreat; (see Proverbs 23:14).
2. Resound; reverberate; emit a steady staccato sound; produce percussive music in a monotonous pattern.
3. Pulse; throb; rhythmic pounding; regular pulsating of blood in the circulatory system.