Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An elongated, often segmented appendage usually found near the mouth in invertebrate organisms such as mollusks, crustaceans, and insects, the functions of which include sensation, locomotion, and feeding. Also called palpus.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To feel; have a feeling of.
- n. A tactile organ; a feeler. See palpus.
Wiktionary
- n. zoology an appendage found near the mouth in invertebrates
- n. The fleshy part of a fingertip
- v. To feel, to explore by touch.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Zoöl.) Same as palpus.
- v. obsolete To have a distinct touch or feeling of; to feel.
Etymologies
- For verb: From French palper, from Latin palpare, palpari ("to stroke, touch softly, feel"). (Wiktionary)
- French palpe, from New Latin palpus, from Latin, a touching. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Before the act of cannibalism, which some spiders escape, the male's sexual organ, known as a palp, is broken off inside the female.”
The Guardian: Male spiders sacrifice their genitals to fertilise big hungry females
“I'm comforted to know that people who have paid thousands of dollars for custom bicycles are getting the food and shelter they need, and woe unto the indigent who "palp" inferior componentry.”
“Wow...a RivBike ad on your site that even co-opted the term "palp" re: running fat tires.”
Ax(e) Me No Questions and I'll Tell You No Lies: Earnest Goes to Camp
“Feel free to "palp" your Dutch bike, recumbent, or cargo bike full of borrowed children.”
“I realize it seems a bit indulgent, but rest assured that it is only there for the photo shoot and that I usually "palp" a custom threadless carrot that I "machined" myself with a butter knife.”
“This is not the first time relief at Amstel has been palpable, either; back in 2001, when Eric Dekker beat Lance Armstrong, you could "palp" his relief from quite a long distance:”
“I tend to 'palp' the 'ride until you are wearing too many clothes to bend your arms look'.”
“Of course, you don't "palp" a bike like that every day, which is why the Lone Wolf has also curated this wind-cheating daily rider, photographed by another reader:”
“Fortunately, if Matthew McConaughey does decide he wants to "palp" fenders on his next burrito run, WIT has also "curated" this bicycle or at least a picture of it, complete with what appear to be crabon fribé fenders and old-timey ship wheels:”
“Incidentally, I still "palp" the fork when conditions warrant suspensionway and I've been very pleased with it, but don't expect to spot me because I always make sure it's disguised:”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘palp’.
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touch
palp, tactile, brush, abut, bepaint, tinct, soupcon, graze, stroke, allude, nudge, epicritic and 67 more...
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new words!
errata, corrigenda, lacuna, inculcate, chiaroscuro, temerity, folderol, juggernaut, diadem, alacrity, exegesis, portmanteau and 97 more...
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Quaintnesses
For those who wish no words were ever forgotten
opprobrium, tedium, encomium, odium, ire, enmity, beguile, wile, brazen, popinjay, squit, hoity-toity and 1161 more...
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Mollusque's miscellany
A mixture of words that I like or have commented on, along with ones parked here so they'd be listed somewhere or remind me of lists I want to make.
oranger, monographer, preoccupied, bu, bobization, coinventor, tetrapyloctomy, borgmannian, suspercollate, manhug, mancrush, obituarist and 604 more...
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Hedgepiglet
Words for things both tangible and nonanthropic
rorqual, vellus, wrasse, rainbow bee-eater, tinkershire, lemonquat, boomslang, tufted vetch, cubeb, nipplefruit, madapple, wad and 447 more...
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Crusty Appendages
Crustaceans and insects have multi-purpose appendages. to name a few:
antenna, trophi, biramous, polypod, parapodium, claw, cercopod, proleg, collembolan, aristae, tentacle, chelicera and 18 more...
Tweets
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