Crossword clues for nictitate
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Nictitate \Nic"ti*tate\, v. i. [See Nictate.] To wink; to nictate.
Nictitating membrane (Anat.), a thin membrane, found in many animals at the inner angle, or beneath the lower lid, of the eye, and capable of being drawn across the eyeball; the third eyelid; the haw.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"to wink," 1822, from Medieval Latin nictitatus, past participle of nictitare, frequentative of Latin nictare "wink, blink," related to nicere "to beckon," from PIE root *kneigwh- "to lean on, to bend" (the eyelids together). Related: Nictitated; nictitating (1713). Earlier form was nictate (v.), 1690s, from Latin nictare.\n
Wiktionary
vb. (context transitive English) to wink or blink
WordNet
Wikipedia
Usage examples of "nictitate".
The Rillyti held their position, amphibian faces twisted in a fierce mask, yellow eyes clouded by a flashing nictitating membrane.
He was a little thing, no more than two feet tall, almost a gnome, with long, knobbly arms and legs, a pointed head and huge, blue, owl-like eyes with nictitating eyelids.
His lashless eyelids made a rare blink, and his third eyelid -- the nictitating membrane -- was flickering more rapidly than usual.
The plica semilunaris as a vestige of the nictitating membrane of certain birds.
He handed the sweetmeat tray to Gurgeh, and while the women giggled and the apices smirked at each other, he went close to the females and flicked the nictitating membranes in his eyes up and down.
The haze, which had already lessened visibility, caused things to get even worse when scratchiness in her eyes triggered the nictitating inner lids.
His human eyes were essentially invisible behind the gogglelike, polarized, and nictitating membranes that made him look almost insectoid.
They were tailless, had cloven hooves and small white eyes across which silvery nictitating membranes flashed.
At times their white eyes would seem to glint with intelligence, but then the nictitating membranes would blur them as if to deny the fact.
Age had, whitened the nictitating membrane and it was semi-retracted, giving her a hooded, hawkish aspect.
The dark eyes watched us, nictitating membrane blurring the slit pupils.
I wiped my hand, rolled her eyelid back with my thumb, the whiteless eye was opaqued by the nictitating membrane.
Eyes alert, nictitating membrane closed against the bright evening light.
There was the subtle flick of nictitating membrane that might mean amusement.
The nictitating membrane slid over her whiteless eyes and she was animal, alien, unfathomable.