Standard Lemma guide

palpate

adj · verb · 3 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.

  • pălʹpāt
  • /ˈpælpeɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of palp, or having palp.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To examine or otherwise explore through touch, particularly (medicine) in reference to an area or organ of the human body.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I palpated his expired heart.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

examine (a body part) by palpation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The nurse palpated the patient's stomach
  • The runner felt her pulse

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: feel

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: touch

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin palpātus, perfect passive participle of palpō (“touch softly”).

Across languages

Translations

20 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: опипвам (opipvam) — to examine by feeling
  • Bulgarian: палпирам (palpiram) — to examine by feeling
  • Czech: prohmatat — to examine by feeling
  • Czech: ošahat — to examine by feeling
  • Esperanto: palpi — to examine by feeling
  • Finnish: tunnustella — to examine by feeling
  • French: palper — to examine by feeling
  • German: abtasten — to examine by feeling
  • German: palpieren — to examine by feeling
  • Greek: ψηλαφώ (psilafó) — to examine by feeling
  • Ancient Greek: ψηλαφάω (psēlapháō) — to examine by feeling
  • Hungarian: kitapint — to examine by feeling
  • Irish: lámhaigh — to examine by feeling
  • Japanese: 触診する (chokushin suru) — to examine by feeling
  • Portuguese: palpar — to examine by feeling
  • Portuguese: apalpar — to examine by feeling
  • Russian: ощупывать (oščupyvatʹ) — to examine by feeling
  • Russian: ощупать (oščupatʹ) — to examine by feeling
  • Spanish: palpar — to examine by feeling
  • Swedish: palpera — to examine by feeling