palpate

palpate

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin palpātus, perfect passive participle of palpō (“touch softly”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: pălʹpāt, IPA^(key): /ˈpælpeɪt/

Verb

palpate (third-person singular simple present palpates, present participle palpating, simple past and past participle palpated)

1. To examine or otherwise explore through touch, particularly (medicine) in reference to an area or organ of the human body.
   • 1992 March 2, Richard Preston, The New Yorker, "The Mountains of Pi":

     David reached inside with his fingers and palpated a logic board.

   I palpated his expired heart.

Synonyms

• touch

Translations

to examine by feeling

Esperanto: palpi Finnish: tunnustella (fi) French: palper (fr) Greek: ψηλαφώ (el) (psilafó) Ancient: ψηλαφάω (psēlapháō)

Hungarian: kitapint (hu) Japanese: 触診する (ja) (しょくしんする, chokushin suru) Portuguese: palpar, apalpar (pt) Russian: ощупывать (ru) impf (oščupyvatʹ), ощупать (ru) pf (oščupatʹ)

Adjective

palpate (not comparable)

1. Of palp, or having palp.

Related terms

• palp
• palpability
• palpable
• palpation
• palpiform
• palpitate
• palpitation

Further reading

• palpate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• palpate at OneLook Dictionary Search

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Italian

Noun

palpate f

1. plural of palpata

Verb

palpate

1. second-person plural present indicative of palpare
2. second-person plural imperative of palpare
3. feminine plural of palpato

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Latin

Verb

palpāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of palpō