Phrase guide

nictitating membrane

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A transparent protective fold of skin acting as an inner eyelid in birds, reptiles and some mammals.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • 2015, Elizabeth Royte, Vultures Are Revolting. Here’s Why We Need to Save Them., National Geographic (December 2015)https://web.archive.org/web/20151213095110/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/vultures-text As the wildebeest shrinks, the circle of sated birds lounging in the short grass expands. With bulging crops, the vultures settle their heads atop folded wings and slide their nictitating membranes shut.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: winker

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a protective fold of skin in the eyes of reptiles and birds and some mammals

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: third eyelid

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: protective fold

Narrower terms: haw

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 瞬膜 (shùnmó) — transparent protective fold of skin
  • Faroese: blunkhinna — transparent protective fold of skin
  • Finnish: vilkkuluomi — transparent protective fold of skin
  • German: Nickhaut — transparent protective fold of skin
  • Icelandic: augnhimna — transparent protective fold of skin
  • Icelandic: blikhimna — transparent protective fold of skin
  • Icelandic: innra augnalok — transparent protective fold of skin
  • Irish: maothán — transparent protective fold of skin
  • Irish: maothán súile — transparent protective fold of skin
  • Japanese: 瞬膜 (shunmaku) — transparent protective fold of skin
  • Polish: migotka — transparent protective fold of skin
  • Portuguese: membrana nictitante — transparent protective fold of skin
  • Upper Sorbian: žmrikawka — transparent protective fold of skin
  • Upper Sorbian: žmrikowka — transparent protective fold of skin
  • Spanish: membrana nictitante — transparent protective fold of skin
  • Swedish: blinkhinna — transparent protective fold of skin