Meanings
plural nictitating membranes · alternative nictating membrane
- A transparent protective fold of skin acting as an inner eyelid in birds, reptiles and some mammals.
1 more example
2015, Elizabeth Royte, Vultures Are Revolting. Here’s Why We Need to Save Them., National Geographic (December 2015)https://web.archive.org/web/20151213095110/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/vultures-text As the wildebeest shrinks, the circle of sated birds lounging in the short grass expands. With bulging crops, the vultures settle their heads atop folded wings and slide their nictitating membranes shut.
Synonyms: winker
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA transparent protective fold of skin acting as an inner eyelid in birds, reptiles and some mammals.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna protective fold of skin in the eyes of reptiles and birds and some mammals
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 瞬膜
- 瞬膜 (shùnmó)transparent protective fold of skin
Finnish vilkkuluomi
- vilkkuluomitransparent protective fold of skin
German Nickhaut
- Nickhauttransparent protective fold of skin
Icelandic augnhimna, blikhimna
- augnhimnatransparent protective fold of skin
- blikhimnatransparent protective fold of skin
- innra augnaloktransparent protective fold of skin
Irish maothán, maothán súile
- maothántransparent protective fold of skin
- maothán súiletransparent protective fold of skin
Japanese 瞬膜
- 瞬膜 (shunmaku)transparent protective fold of skin
Polish migotka
- migotkatransparent protective fold of skin
Portuguese membrana nictitante
- membrana nictitantetransparent protective fold of skin
Spanish membrana nictitante
- membrana nictitantetransparent protective fold of skin
Swedish blinkhinna
- blinkhinnatransparent protective fold of skin
Cite this entry
nictitating membrane. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nictitating%20membrane
“nictitating membrane.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nictitating%20membrane. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nictitating membrane,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nictitating%20membrane.
Source: nictitating membrane on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.