*alpa*

n. [ From the language of the Indians of Carolina, where Catesby discovered this tree in the year 1726. ] (Bot.) A genus of American and East Indian trees, of which the best known species are the Catalpa bignonioides, a large, ornamental North American tree, with spotted white flowers and long cylindrical pods, and the Catalpa speciosa, of the Mississipi valley; -- called also Indian bean. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Arch.) See Haut pas. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. impalpabilité. ] The quality of being impalpable. Jortin. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. im- not + palpable: cf. F. impalpable. ] 1. Not palpable; that cannot be felt; extremely fine, so that no grit can be perceived by touch. “Impalpable powder.” Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Not material; intangible; incorporeal. “Impalpable, void, and bodiless.” Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Not apprehensible, or readily apprehensible, by the mind; unreal; as, impalpable distinctions. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an impalpable manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Skr. ] (Hind. Myth.) One of the Brahmanic eons, a period of 4, 320, 000, 000 years. At the end of each Kalpa the world is annihilated. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Sp. mal, malo, bad, and país country. ] (Geol.) The rough surface of a congealed lava stream. [ Southwestern U. S. ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. The quality of being palpable, or perceptible by the touch. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. palpable, L. palpabilis, fr. palpare to feel, stroke; cf. palpus the soft palm of the hand. ] 1. Capable of being touched and felt; perceptible by the touch; as, a palpable form. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Darkness must overshadow all his bounds,
Palpable darkness. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Easily perceptible; plain; distinct; obvious; readily perceived and detected; gross; as, palpable imposture; palpable absurdity; palpable errors. “Three persons palpable.” P. Plowman. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Lies ] gross as a mountain, open, palpable. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

A hit, A very palpable hit. Shak. (Hamlet) [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Pal"pa*ble*ness, n. -- Pal"pa*bly, adv. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To examine for medical purposes by touching, as of body parts; as, the nurse palpated the patient's stomach.
Syn. -- feel. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. palpatio, fr. palpare. See Palpable. ] 1. Act of touching or feeling. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Med.) Examination of a patient by touch. Quain. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L., a stroker. ] (Zool.) One of a family of clavicorn beetles, including those which have very long maxillary palpi. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. L. Salpae E. Salpas [ NL.: cf. L. salpa a kind of stockfish. ] (Zool.) A genus of transparent, tubular, free-swimming oceanic tunicates found abundantly in all the warmer latitudes. See Illustration in Appendix. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Each species exists in two distinct forms, one of which lives solitary, and produces, by budding from an internal organ, a series of the other kind. These are united together, side by side, so as to form a chain, or cluster, often of large size. Each of the individuals composing the chain carries a single egg, which develops into the solitary kind. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. suppalpari to caress a little; sub under, a little + palpare to caress. ] The act of enticing by soft words; enticement. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]