A sensory appendage or feeler on an insect or other arthropod, usually located near the mouth.
From Latin 'palpus,' related to 'palpare' meaning 'to touch' or 'to feel.' The connection to touch gives us both the scientific term and the modern word 'palpate' (to examine by touch in medicine).
An insect's palps are like taste-buds-on-a-stick—they're covered in sensory cells and help arthropods detect food, chemicals, and navigate their world, which is why flies seem to be always touching things with their face parts!
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