nictitate

American  

[nik-ti-teyt] / ˈnɪk tɪˌteɪt /

verb (used without object)

nictitated, nictitating

1. a variant of nictate.

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nictitate British  

/ ˈnɪkteɪt, ˈnɪktɪˌteɪt /

verb

1. technical words for blink

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Other Word Forms

• nictitant
  adjective
• nictitation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of nictitate

First recorded in 1815–25; from Medieval Latin nictitātus, past participle of nictitāre, frequentative of nictāre nictate

Explanation

When you quickly shut and open your eyes, you nictitate — which is a fancy way of saying that you blink. The word nictitate comes from the Latin word nictare, which means "to blink." Many animals, including cats and some birds and reptiles, have a special nictitating membrane on each eye — an extra eyelid that moves sideways to protect, clean, and moisten the eye. The next time you see a lizard's eyes flicker or a bird blink rapidly, you can impress your friends by telling them it's nictitating!