The Oxford Dictionary of English defines the verb ‘to palpate’ as: ‘to examine (a part of the body) by touch, especially for medical purposes’. Its derivative noun is ‘palpation’ (from the Latin verb palpare: to ‘feel or touch gently’.) According to The Chambers Dictionary, the term ‘palp’ means ‘to feel, examine or explore by touch’; palpare is defined as ‘to touch softly, stroke, caress or flatter’. Churchill’s Medical Dictionary defines palpation as ‘to stroke, caress; to explore or examine by touching and probing with the hands and fingers’.