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View synonyms for nictitate

nictitate

[ nik-ti-teyt ]

verb (used without object)

, nic·ti·tat·ed, nic·ti·tat·ing.
  1. a variant of nictate ( def ).


nictitate

/ ˈnɪkteɪt; ˈnɪktɪˌteɪt /

verb

  1. technical words for blink
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˌnictiˈtation, noun
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Other Words From

  • nic·ti·tant adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of nictitate1

First recorded in 1815–25; from Medieval Latin nictitātus, past participle of nictitāre, frequentative of nictāre nictate
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Word History and Origins

Origin of nictitate1

C19: from Medieval Latin nictitāre to wink repeatedly, from Latin nictāre to wink, from nicere to beckon
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Example Sentences

Separately, the sclera, the eye’s outer layer, would most closely resemble those of horses and cows and include a nictitating membrane, the built-in goggles that make it possible to see underwater.

In her 2018 special “Elder Millennial,” she references a nictitating membrane, the translucent inner eyelid typically found in reptiles and birds.

A thin nictitating membrane covers their eyes to protect against sandstorms, and bushy eyebrows and a double row of extra-long lashes help to keep sand out.

A cat has upper and lower eyelids that meet when the eye closes, along with a mysterious third eyelid—more properly called the palpebra tertia, also known as the nictitating membrane or “haw.”

He heard the eyases chittering, saw Frightful sitting erect on her stub, and let his nictitating membranes slip across each eye.

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Nictheroynictitating membrane