Adjacent Words

Palpitate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PAL'PITATE, v.i. [L. palpito, from palpo. Palpito illustrates the primary sense of palpo.] To beat gently; to beat, as the heart; to flutter, that is, to move with little throws; as we say, to go pit a pat; applied particularly to a preternatural or excited movement of the heart.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: cause to throb or beat rapidly; "Her violent feelings palpitated the young woman's heart"
2: shake with fast, tremulous movements; "His nostrils palpitated" [syn: quiver, quake, palpitate]
3: beat rapidly; "His heart palpitated" [syn: palpitate, flutter]

Merriam Webster's

intransitive verb (-tated; -tating) Etymology: Latin palpitatus, past participle of palpitare, frequentative of palpare to stroke Date: circa 1623 to beat rapidly and strongly ; throb • palpitation noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.intr. 1 pulsate, throb. 2 tremble. Derivatives: palpitant adj. Etymology: L palpitare frequent. of palpare touch gently

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Palpitate Pal"pi*tate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Palpitated; p. pr. & vb. n. Palpitating.] [L. palpitare, palpitatum, v. intens. fr. pappare. See Palpable.] To beat rapidly and more strongly than usual; to throb; to bound with emotion or exertion; to pulsate violently; to flutter; -- said specifically of the heart when its action is abnormal, as from excitement.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(palpitates, palpitating, palpitated) 1. If someone's heart palpitates, it beats very fast in an irregular way, because they are frightened or anxious. He felt suddenly faint, and his heart began to palpitate. VERB: V 2. If something palpitates, it shakes or seems to shake. (LITERARY) She lay on the bed, her eyes closed and her bosom palpitating. VERB: V-ing, also V

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. 1. Pulsate, throb, flutter, beat rapidly, go pit-a-pat. 2. Tremble, quiver, shiver.

Moby Thesaurus

beat, beat a ruffle, beat a tattoo, bicker, dance, drum, fidget, flap, flick, flicker, flip, flip out, flit, flitter, flop, flutter, freak out on, get high on, glow, go pitapat, gutter, have the fidgets, have the shakes, heave, jerk, pant, patter, pitter-patter, pound, pulsate, pulse, quake, quaver, quiver, roll, ruffle, shake, shiver, slat, sound a tattoo, splatter, splutter, sputter, squirm, swell, swell with emotion, thrill, thrill to, throb, thrum, thump, tick, ticktock, tingle, tingle with excitement, toss, toss and turn, tremble, tumble, turn on to, twist and turn, twitch, twitter, wave, waver, wiggle, wriggle, writhe