Nictation
/nɪkˈteɪ.ʃən/noun
The act of blinking or winking, especially the rapid movement of the eyelids.
Did you know?Nictation comes from Latin *nictare*, a frequentative of *nicere* (“to blink or wink”), showing how even a tiny eye movement was important enough to get its own classical root.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*neik-
“to move quickly; to wink or blink”
Latin
Latin
nicere
“to blink or wink”
Latin
Latin
nictāre
“to blink repeatedly; to wink”
Late Latin
Latin
nictātiō
“a blinking or winking”
Middle English
English
nictacion
“the act of blinking”
Modern English
English
nictation
“the act of blinking or winking”