English
palpebrate
Palpebrate comes from New Latin palpebratus ‘eyebrowed’, from Latin palpebra ‘an eyelid’, and ultimately from palpō ‘to touch softly’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpalpō‘to touch softly’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpalpebra‘an eyelid’
- New Latinc. 1500–1900palpebratus‘eyebrowed’
- Englishearliest quotation 1979palpebrate
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpalpō‘to touch softly’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpalpebra‘an eyelid’
- New Latinc. 1500–1900palpebratus‘eyebrowed’
- Englishearliest quotation 1979palpebrate
Earliest quotation: 1979, Kirk N. Gelatt, Robert L. Peiffer: “Lateral canthoplasty to reduce the size of the palpebrate…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pel- ‘to drive, swing, shake’
film, felt, simple, simply, push, powder, complain, filter, fold, pulse, pillow, flaw, repeal, pollen, compulsive, expel, repel, propel, pelt, palate, palatable, wallow, peloton, pall, tuple, muffle, apoplexy, pulver, pollinate, pillion, peplum, palatal, interpolate, 63 more
through Ancient Greek πάλλω ‘swing, shake, shake loose’
through Latin palpō ‘to touch softly’
Today it means
adj Pertaining to the eyelids.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin palpō / palpebrate