Word of the Day 12.14.08
palpable
pal·pa·ble (p
l
p
-bl)
adj.
1. Capable of being handled, touched, or felt; tangible: “Anger rushed out in a palpable wave through his arms and legs” Herman Wouk.
2. Easily perceived; obvious: “There was a palpable sense of expectation in the court” Nelson DeMille. See Synonyms at perceptible.
3. Medicine That can be felt by palpating: a palpable tumor.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin palp
bilis, from Latin palpre, to touch gently; see pl- in Indo-European roots.]
pal
pa·bili·ty n.
palpa·bly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
| Adj. | 1. | palpable – capable of being perceived; especially capable of being handled or touched or felt; “a barely palpable dust”; “felt sudden anger in a palpable wave”; “the air was warm and close–palpable as cotton”; “a palpable lie”
perceptible – capable of being perceived by the mind or senses; “a perceptible limp”; “easily perceptible sounds”; “perceptible changes in behavior”
impalpable – imperceptible to the senses or the mind; “an impalpable cloud”; “impalpable shadows”; “impalpable distinctions”; “as impalpable as a dream”
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| 2. | palpable – can be felt by palpation; “a palpable tumor”
medical specialty, medicine – the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques
perceptible – capable of being perceived by the mind or senses; “a perceptible limp”; “easily perceptible sounds”; “perceptible changes in behavior”
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