palpée

Palpée is the feminine form of the past participle of the French verb palp er. In standard French, past participles agree in gender and number with the noun they modify or with the subject in compound tenses. The masculine form is palpé, and the feminine form is palpée; plural forms are palpés (masculine) and palpées (feminine).

As an adjective, palpée describes something that has been felt by touch or examined by palpation. It is commonly used in medical or clinical contexts to indicate that a region or finding was identified through palpation, for example, la région palpée or une douleur palpée. It can also appear in passive constructions: la lésion a été palpée.

In medical documentation, palpée frequently appears in notes detailing physical examination findings. Its meaning hinges on tactile assessment rather than visual inspection, and it is often paired with nouns denoting body regions or symptoms, such as une masse palpée or une sensibilité palpée.

Etymology traces palpée to the French verb palp er, derived from Latin palpāre, meaning “to touch lightly” or “to feel.” The form palpée follows standard gender agreement rules for French past participles.

Usage considerations include ensuring correct agreement with nouns or subjects. For masculine references, use palpé; for feminine references, palpée. Although primarily linguistic, palpée also appears in forestry, geology, or other fields whenever a tactile examination or felt finding is described in French prose or notes.

See also: palpation, French grammar, past participles, agreement in gender and number.