Etymology

nictate

N1I1C3T1A1T1E1

Today it means: To wink or blink; (of certain animals) to close the nictating membrane. Full definition →

First used 18th c.Latin nictātus
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Latin · borrowed fromnictātus
  2. English todaynictate

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

First known use, by meaning

  • from 18th c. To wink or blink; (of certain animals) to close the nictating membrane.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.