nictate

/nɪkˈteɪt/

meaning in plain English

To blink or quickly close and open one or both eyelids, like when you wink or when some animals pull a clear cover over their eyes.

Picture a cat nictating—quickly blinking its eyes like a secret wink.

for example

The owl will nictate its membrane to protect its eyes from dust.

Ever caught yourself mid-yawn only to suddenly nictate at a passing fly? That split-second flicker of your eyelid isn’t just reflex—it’s your eye’s way of sweeping away dust before it becomes a nuisance. Next time you nictate, think of it as your body’s built-in windshield wiper, blinking away the world’s tiny annoyances.