palpate
1 Americanverb (used with object)
adjective
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of palpate1
First recorded in 1840–50; from Latin palpātus, past participle of palpāre “to stroke, touch”; see palpus, -ate 1
Origin of palpate2
Explanation
To palpate is to examine with the hands, by pressing. Your doctor might palpate your abdomen if you have a pain in your stomach. You're most likely to come across the verb palpate in a doctor's office or another medical context. A veterinarian will palpate a limping dog to feel for broken bones or tight muscles, and it's common for a doctor to palpate the glands in your neck during a routine exam. The Latin root word is palpatus, which means "to touch."
Vocabulary lists containing palpate
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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The Cuckoo's Calling
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Once There Was
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
You want to reach out and palpate its wounds, that you might believe.
From New York Times • May 29, 2019
There was no weight, no feeling of a source or origin or cause, nothing to palpate.
From The New Yorker • Feb. 11, 2019
Clayton: Yes, you palpate, exactly, you get a heart rate, you listen to the heart, you listen for the gut sounds depending on what species you’re working with.
From Slate • May 31, 2017
On race day, track veterinarians palpate every horse with their hands, watch them jog in search of abnormalities in gait and determine their fitness to race.
From Washington Post • Jul. 13, 2016
After careful inspection has given all the data which it is possible to obtain, one next lays the palm of the hand over the heart and attempts to palpate the apex beat.
From Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension: with Chapters on Blood Pressure, 3rd Edition. by Warfield, Louis Marshall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
