Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Palpable

Pal′pa-ble

,
Adj.
[F.
palpable
, L.
palpabilis
, fr.
palpare
to feel, stroke; cf.
palpus
the soft palm of the hand.]
1.
Capable of being touched and felt; perceptible by the touch;
as, a
palpable
form
.
Shak.
Darkness must overshadow all his bounds,
Palpable
darkness.
Milton.
2.
Easily perceptible; plain; distinct; obvious; readily perceived and detected; gross;
as,
palpable
imposture;
palpable
absurdity;
palpable
errors.
“Three persons palpable.”
P. Plowman.
[Lies] gross as a mountain, open,
palpable
.
Shakespeare
A hit, A very
palpable
hit.
Shakespeare
Pal′pa-ble-ness
,
Noun.
Pal′pa-bly
,
adv.

Webster 1828 Edition


Palpable

PAL'PABLE

,
Adj.
[L. palpor, to feel.]
1.
Perceptible by the touch; that may be felt; as a palpable substance; palpable darkness.
2.
Gross; coarse; easily perceived and detected; as a palpable absurdity.
3.
Plain; obvious; easily perceptible; as palpable phenomena; palpable proof.

Definition 2024


palpable

palpable

English

Adjective

palpable (comparative more palpable, superlative most palpable)

  1. Capable of being touched, felt or handled; touchable, tangible.
    • c. 1600, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, act 5, scene 2:
      Osric: A hit, a very palpable hit.
    • 1838, Edgar Allan Poe, "Ligeia":
      I had felt that some palpable although invisible object had passed lightly by my person.
    • 1894, Bret Harte, "The Heir of the McHulishes" in A Protegee of Jack Hamlin's and Other Stories:
      The next morning the fog had given way to a palpable, horizontally driving rain.
  2. Obvious or easily perceived; noticeable.
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 5, in The Celebrity:
      Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, [] . It was with a palpable relief that he heard the first warning notes of the figure.
    • 1913, Sax Rohmer, The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu chapter 24:
      Her voice, her palpable agitation, prepared us for something extraordinary.
    • 1916, Kathleen Norris, The Heart of Rachael, chapter 7:
      No use in raging, in reasoning, in arguing. No use in setting forth the facts, the palpable right and wrong.
  3. (medicine) That can be detected by palpation.

Synonyms

Translations


Catalan

Etymology

Latin palpābilis.

Adjective

palpable m, f (masculine and feminine plural palpables)

  1. palpable

French

Etymology

Latin palpābilis.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /palpabl/

Adjective

palpable m, f (plural palpables)

  1. palpable

Middle French

Adjective

palpable m, f (plural palpables)

  1. touchable; palpable

References


Spanish

Adjective

palpable m, f (plural palpables)

  1. palpable