Definition of "percuss" in English

verb

1. (transitive) To strike; to hit; to knock; to give a blow to.

   • Solid bodies, if they be very softly percussed, give no sound.
   • Give me thy hand Gonzalo, thou art in our favour, / For we do love to cheriſh lofty ſpirits, / Such as percuſſe the Earth, and bound / With an erected countenance to the clouds.

2. (intransitive) To impact.

   • Falling on the roof of the caravan, the hailstones percussed noisily.

3. (transitive, chiefly medicine) To attempt to divine the location or other quality of something by tapping on (an overlying surface).

   • The doctor percussed his chest to determine whether he had pneumonia.
   • Percussing a patient's spleen is best done while he is on his back.