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• palatine
  palatine

  adjective

  having royal privileges.
• Palatine
  Palatine

  noun

  a city in NE Illinois.

palatine

¹ American  

[pal-uh-tahyn, -tin] / ˈpæl əˌtaɪn, -tɪn /

adjective

1. having royal privileges.

   a count palatine.

2. of or relating to a count palatine, earl palatine, or county palatine.

3. of or relating to a palace; palatial.

   a palatine chapel.

4. Palatine, of or relating to the Palatinate.

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noun

1. a vassal exercising royal privileges in a province; a count or earl palatine.

2. an important officer of an imperial palace.

3. a high official of an empire.

4. Palatine, a native or inhabitant of the Palatinate.

5. Palatine, one of the seven hills on which ancient Rome was built.

6. a shoulder cape, usually of fur or lace, formerly worn by women.

palatine ² American  

[pal-uh-tahyn, -tin] / ˈpæl əˌtaɪn, -tɪn /

adjective

1. of, near, or in the palate; palatal.

   the palatine bones.

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Palatine ³ American  

[pal-uh-tahyn] / ˈpæl əˌtaɪn /

noun

1. a city in NE Illinois.

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palatine ¹ British  

/ ˈpæləˌtaɪn /

adjective

1. (of an individual) possessing royal prerogatives in a territory

2. of, belonging to, characteristic of, or relating to a count palatine, county palatine, palatinate, or palatine

3. of or relating to a palace

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noun

1. feudal history the lord of a palatinate

2. any of various important officials at the late Roman, Merovingian, or Carolingian courts

3. (in Colonial America) any of the proprietors of a palatine colony, such as Carolina

Palatine ² British  

/ ˈpæləˌtaɪn /

adjective

1. of or relating to the Palatinate

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noun

1. a Palatinate

Palatine ³ British  

/ ˈpæləˌtaɪn /

noun

1. one of the Seven Hills of Rome: traditionally the site of the first settlement of Rome

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or designating this hill

palatine ⁴ British  

/ ˈpæləˌtaɪn /

adjective

1. of or relating to the palate

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noun

1. either of two bones forming the hard palate

Etymology

Origin of palatine¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English palatine, paladin, palentine, from Old French palatin, palantien, from Medieval Latin, Latin palātīnus “of the imperial house (on the Palatine hill), imperial”; originally, of the hill Palātium in Rome; see palace, palatium -ine ¹

Origin of palatine²

First recorded in 1650–60; from French palatin, palatine, from Latin palātum palate + -ine ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

In ancient Rome, a palatine was a powerful authority figure. Through the 17th century, European palatines were nobles who inherited land and ruled over it separately from the greater kingdom. This word stems from the Medieval Latin palatinus, "of the palace," and in the ancient Roman world, someone working in a prince's palace was described as comes palatinus, or "possessing royal privileges." Through history, being a palatine meant having an enormous amount of power over a specific territory. Today the word is also used as an adjective meaning "connected to the palate of the mouth."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

palatine Palatine

The palatine tonsils are on the sides of the throat, and there are also lingual tonsils on the back of the tongue.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 31, 2017

The book was spectacularly ill timed, although it earned Apian a position as court astronomer to Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire and eventually the title of imperial count palatine.

From New York Times ● Jun. 12, 2014

The medial floor is primarily formed by the maxilla, with a small contribution from the palatine bone.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

These consist of 14 bones, with the paired maxillary, palatine, zygomatic, nasal, lacrimal, and inferior conchae bones and the unpaired vomer and mandible bones.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

Returning to Germany, he became privy councillor to the elector palatine Philip, whom he assisted in bringing the university of Heidelberg to the height of its fame.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 9 "Dagupan" to "David" by Various

The director of the Colosseum Archeological Park, which includes the Palatine Hill, in a written description of the restored palazzo, dubbed it “the power palace par excellence.”

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2023

When Amy Tanner, of Palatine, saw that, she called the attorney general’s office, only to learn there had been no request for an opinion.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 1, 2023

Palatine, Illinois-based Weber said that as part of the deal, funds managed by BDT will provide the grill maker with an unsecured loan of additional $350 million.

From Reuters ● Dec. 12, 2022

The Palatine: Visitors inside the Imperial Forum typically hike the Palatine for the Farnese Gardens promontory's splendid view onto the Forum and Capitoline Hill.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 11, 2019

And in the meantime, I’ve left Charlotte of the Palatine in the lurch.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

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