nictate

verb /nɪkˈteɪt/

1. To wink or blink; (of certain animals) to close the nictating membrane.

   intransitive

   Indignantly interrogated as to whether he himself believed or exercised this abhominable and perabsurd superstition, he very gravely nictated his dexter eyelid. And I nictated mine. And we both laughed.

Where it comes from

First attested in 1755; borrowed from Latin nictātus, perfect passive participle of nictō (“to wink, blink”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry nictate (CC BY-SA 4.0).

← niblingnidorous →

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