tr.v. per·cussed, per·cuss·ing, per·cuss·es To strike or tap firmly, as in medical percussion: The doctor percussed the patient's chest. [Latin percutere, percuss-, to strike hard : per-, per- + quatere, to strike; see kwēt- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.