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palate

[ pal-it ]
/ ˈpæl ɪt /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR palate ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Anatomy. the roof of the mouth, consisting of an anterior bony portion (hard palate) and a posterior muscular portion (soft palate) that separate the oral cavity from the nasal cavity.
the sense of taste: a dinner to delight the palate.
intellectual or aesthetic taste; mental appreciation.

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RELATED WORDS

bias, penchant, partiality, tendency, attraction, inclination, preference, appetite, disposition, zest, gusto

Nearby words

  1. palatal papillomatosis,
  2. palatal process,
  3. palatal reflex,
  4. palatalize,
  5. palatalized,
  6. palatial,
  7. palatinate,
  8. palatine,
  9. palatine artery,
  10. palatine bone

Origin of palate

1350–1400; Middle English palat < Latin palātum roof of the mouth
Related formspal·ate·less, adjectivepal·ate·like, adjective
Can be confusedpalate palette pallet
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for palate

British Dictionary definitions for palate

palate

/ (ˈpælɪt) /

noun

the roof of the mouth, separating the oral and nasal cavitiesSee hard palate, soft palate Related adjective: palatine
the sense of tasteshe had no palate for the wine
relish or enjoyment
botany (in some two-lipped corollas) the projecting part of the lower lip that closes the opening of the corolla

Word Origin for palate

C14: from Latin palātum, perhaps of Etruscan origin

confusable

Avoid confusion with palette, pallet 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for palate

palate

n.

late 14c., "roof of the mouth," from Old French palat and directly from Latin palatum "roof of the mouth," perhaps of Etruscan origin [Klein]. Popularly considered the seat of taste, hence transferred meaning "sense of taste" (late 14c.), which also was in classical Latin. Related: Palatal; palatalize.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for palate

palate

[ păl′ĭt ]

n.

The bony and muscular partition between the oral and nasal cavities; the roof of the mouth.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for palate

palate

[ păl′ĭt ]

The roof of the mouth in vertebrate animals, separating the mouth from the passages of the nose.♦ The bony part of the palate is called the hard palate. ♦ A soft, flexible, rear portion of the palate, called the soft palate, is present in mammals only and serves to close off the mouth from the nose during swallowing.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Culture definitions for palate

palate

[ (pal-uht) ]

The roof of the mouth. The palate separates the mouth from the nasal cavity.

Note

It is sometimes said that a person has a “cultivated palate” if he or she has a discerning taste for food.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.