palp
Americannoun
noun
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either of a pair of sensory appendages that arise from the mouthparts of crustaceans and insects
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either of a pair of tactile organs arising from the head or anterior end of certain annelids and molluscs
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A segmented organ extending from the mouthparts of arthropods, used for touch or taste.
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Also called palpus
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of palp
C19: from French, from Latin palpus a touching
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.
The male palp alone can grow to around 5 cm, nearly four times longer than the front section of the body and almost as long as the spider's longest legs.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 6, 2026
I had 103.7° fever, a blood pressure that was 80 over palp, and oxygen levels that were so low I required oxygen support at a level just below that achieved with mechanical ventilation.
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2020
In a few Ostracoda, by a rare exception, the masticatory process is reduced or suppressed, and the palp alone remains, forming a pediform appendage used in locomotion as well as in the prehension of food.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7 "Crocoite" to "Cuba" by Various
As an instance of this may be mentioned the mandibular palp of those Crustacea with zoaea larvae.
From Darwin and Modern Science by Seward, A. C. (Albert Charles)
It is flanked right and left by two other parts, likewise fleshy, adhering closely to the lip and bearing at the tip a rudimentary palp consisting of two or three very tiny joints.
From The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles by Teixeira de Mattos, Alexander
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.
