palpate

¹ American  

[pal-peyt] / ˈpæl peɪt /

verb (used with object)

palpated, palpating

1. to examine by touch, especially for the purpose of diagnosing disease or illness.

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palpate ² American  

[pal-peyt] / ˈpæl peɪt /

adjective

Zoology.

1. having a palpus or palpi. palpus.

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palpate ¹ British  

/ ˈpælpeɪt /

verb

1. (tr) med to examine (an area of the body) by the sense of touch and pressure

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palpate ² British  

/ ˈpælpeɪt /

adjective

1. zoology of, relating to, or possessing a palp or palps

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Other Word Forms

• palpation noun
• palpatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of palpate¹

First recorded in 1840–50; from Latin palpātus, past participle of palpāre “to stroke, touch”; palpus, -ate ¹

Origin of palpate²

First recorded in 1855–60; palp(us) + -ate ¹

Example Sentences

You want to reach out and palpate its wounds, that you might believe.

From New York Times • May 29, 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

She wants them to have “haptic responsiveness,” so that the surgeon operating the robot can feel in her own hands the bounce or flab of an internal muscle, or palpate a liver from long distance.

From The New Yorker • May 16, 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