Dictionary.com

palpable

[ pal-puh-buhl ]
/ ˈpæl pə bəl /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: palpable / palpability / palpably on Thesaurus.com

adjective
readily or plainly seen, heard, perceived, etc.; obvious; evident: a palpable lie; palpable absurdity.
capable of being touched or felt; tangible.
Medicine/Medical. perceptible by palpation.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of palpable

1350–1400; Middle English <Late Latin palpābilis that can be touched, equivalent to palpā(re) to stroke, touch, palpate1 + -bilis-ble

OTHER WORDS FROM palpable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for palpable

palpable
/ (ˈpælpəbəl) /

adjective
(usually prenominal) easily perceived by the senses or the mind; obviousthe excuse was a palpable lie
capable of being touched; tangible
med capable of being discerned by the sense of toucha palpable tumour

Derived forms of palpable

palpability or palpableness, nounpalpably, adverb

Word Origin for palpable

C14: from Late Latin palpābilis that may be touched, from Latin palpāre to stroke, touch
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK