Definition of nictation in English:
nictation
noun
rareThe action or process of blinking.
‘Any conspicuous behavior indicating the existence of ophthalmic irritation due to the administered drugs such as closing eye or nictation was not observed after the instillation.’- ‘Snaked earth, crow-spotted through the sun-leagues, coils in their fierce emphatic eyes, cleansed by the flicker of the lids' nictation.’
- ‘One or more, and in some cases all five, nematode replicate lines showed declines in virulence, reproduction, heat tolerance, host seeking ability, and nictation.’
- ‘The key reason for this dichotomy in behavior is nictation.’
- ‘The invention relates to a preparation which is used for treating human muscular dystonias such as strabismus and torticolis, involuntary nictation and is obtainable from a Clostridium botulism culture toxin and to a method for production thereof.’
Pronunciation
Origin
Early 17th century from Latin nictatio(n-), from the verb nictare ‘to blink’.
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