palpation

[pal-pey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of examining a person or thing by touch, especially a patient in order to make a diagnosis.

   His belly is distended, and on deep palpation I clearly feel a hard mass in the upper right quadrant.

Word History and Origins

Origin of palpation¹

First recorded in 1450–1500; from Latin palpātiōn-, stem of palpātiō “a stroking, flattery”; palpate ¹ ( def. ), -ion ( def. )

Example Sentences

Modern CT scans, for example, perform better than even the best surgeons’ palpation of a painful abdomen in detecting appendicitis.

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Her chest pain had gone away, though during the examination her physician noticed tenderness along her sternum from the palpation exam.

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Osteopathic schools, on the other hand, stress physical diagnosis techniques like palpation or percussion — gently tapping the abdominal area, say, to determine if the size and shape of the liver suggest inflammation.

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Brennan’s examination was conducted by the method of palpation the larynx.

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Additionally, I had rebound tenderness – pain that is greater when the examiner releases pressure on palpation – which is another indication that I had some type of peritoneal irritation.

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Related Words

• ambience 
• atmosphere 
• aura 
• feeling 
• impression 
• mood 
• quality 
• sense 
• touch