pallet

¹ American  

[pal-it] / ˈpæl ɪt /

noun

1. a bed or mattress of straw.

2. a small or makeshift bed.

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pallet ² American  

[pal-it] / ˈpæl ɪt /

noun

1. a small, low, portable platform on which goods are placed for storage or moving, as in a warehouse or vehicle.

2. a flat board or metal plate used to support ceramic articles during drying.

3. Horology.

   1. a lever with three projections, two of which intermittently lock and receive impulses from the escape wheel and one which transmits these impulses to the balance.

   2. either of the two projections of this lever that engage and release the escape wheel.

4. a painter's palette.

5. (on a pawl) a lip or projection that engages with the teeth of a ratchet wheel.

6. Printing. typeholder.

7. (in gilding) an instrument used to take up the gold leaves from the pillow and to apply and extend them.

8. a shaping tool used by potters and consisting of a flat blade or plate with a handle at one end.

9. Bookbinding.

   1. a tool for decorating the spine of a book.

   2. the stamping of the name of the binder on the inside covers of a book.

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verb (used with object)

palleted, palleting

1. palletize.

pallet ¹ British  

/ ˈpælɪt /

noun

1. an instrument with a handle and a flat, sometimes flexible, blade used by potters for shaping

2. a standard-sized platform of box section open at two ends on which goods may be stacked. The open ends allow the entry of the forks of a lifting truck so that the palletized load can be raised and moved about easily

3. horology the locking lever that engages and disengages alternate end pawls with the escape wheel to give impulses to the balance

4. a variant spelling of palette

5. music a flap valve of wood faced with leather that opens to allow air from the wind chest to enter an organ pipe, causing it to sound

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pallet ² British  

/ ˈpælɪt /

noun

1. a straw-filled mattress or bed

2. any hard or makeshift bed

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Usage

What’s the difference between pallet, palette, and palate? The word pallet most commonly refers to a flat, square (often wood) platform used to hold goods for shipping (it’s sometimes called a skid). A palette is that board that painters keep their paints on while painting (most traditionally, an oval one with a thumbhole for holding). The word palate refers to the roof of the mouth. More figuratively, palate can refer to a person’s particular sense of taste (as in the way they perceive flavors), or to a person’s general, intellectual taste (as in their specific preferences for things).All three of these words are pronounced exactly the same, and they’re always used as nouns.The word palette is closely associated with art and color. It can also refer to a collection or range of colors or techniques. For example, the term color palette refers to a specific set of colors, such as the ones that a particular artist typically works with.The word pallet can sometimes be used to refer to a painter’s palette, but this spelling is much less commonly used.So how to keep all three spellings straight?A palette is the thing a painter always keeps on hand—literally—while painting. In this way, you can think of a painter’s palette (which is spelled with one L) as a painter’s pal.A pallet (ending in -let) is the platform that lets shippers easily transport goods.Think of palate (ending in -ate) as a word related to what you ate.Here’s an example of pallet, palette, and palate used correctly in a sentence.Example: The art installation consists of wooden pallets painted in a vibrant palette of colors—it’s interesting, but it’s not quite suited to my palate. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between pallet, palette, and palate.

Commonly Confused

See palette palate

See palette palate

Etymology

Origin of pallet¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English pail(l)et, from Anglo-French paillete “chaff,” equivalent to Old French paille “straw” (from Latin palea “chaff”) + -ete -ette ( def. )

Origin of pallet²

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English palet, from Middle French palette palette

Example Sentences

Eventually she became so fed up with choosing presents that she went to the bookstore and returned with what looked like a pallet of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionaries.

From The Wall Street Journal

The freighter was quickly unloaded and flew back to China carrying only empty pallets.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ten days after the shipment was picked up, Urbandesi said the entire shipment—a total of 26 pallets and 1,092 cartons—had gone missing.

From The Wall Street Journal

On one side of the obelisk, a tall stack of wooden pallets has been positioned.

From Literature

The building will use more automation such as robotic arms to break down and build pallets and autonomous picking machines that bring items directly to human workers for sorting.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• array
• assortment
• bag
• bale
• batch
• box
• bunch
• carton
• clump
• cluster
• crate
• heap
• package
• packet
• parcel
• pile
• quantity
• stack
• wad