palette

[ pal-it ]

noun
  1. a thin and usually oval or oblong board or tablet with a thumb hole at one end, used by painters for holding and mixing colors.

  2. any other flat surface used by a painter for this purpose.

  1. the set of colors on such a board or surface.

  2. the range of colors used by a particular artist: From this period onwards, his palette lightened in color and he focused primarily on painting seascapes.

  3. any set or range of colors, such as those used in brand marketing or as part of a collection of cosmetics:The website’s organic, bronze palette and geometric typography reflect the intersection of urbanity and the gallery's natural surroundings.

  4. the variety of techniques or range of any art: a lush but uneven musical palette.

  5. the complete range of colors made available by a computer graphics card, from which a user or program may choose those to be displayed.

  6. the range or scope of something: a broad palette of skills and strategies.

  7. (in ancient Egyptian art) a somewhat flattish slate object of various shapes, carved with commemorative scenes or motifs or, especially in the smaller pieces, containing a recessed area probably for holding eye makeup and often used as a votive offering.

  8. Also pal·lette .Armor. a small plate defending the front of the armpit when the arm is lifted; gusset.

Origin of palette

1
First recorded in 1615–25; from French, Middle French, diminutive of pale “spade, shovel,” from Latin pāla “spade, winnowing fan, shoulder blade” (related to pale2, peel2, peel3) + -ette; see origin at -ette

Other words from palette

  • pal·ette·like, adjective

Words that may be confused with palette

Words Nearby palette

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use palette in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for palette

palette

/ (ˈpælɪt) /


noun
  1. Also: pallet a flat piece of wood, plastic, etc, used by artists as a surface on which to mix their paints

  2. the range of colours characteristic of a particular artist, painting, or school of painting: a restricted palette

  1. the available range of colours or patterns that can be displayed by a computer on a visual display unit

  2. either of the plates of metal attached by a strap to the cuirass in a suit of armour to protect the armpits

Origin of palette

1
C17: from French, diminutive of pale shovel, from Latin pala spade

confusable For palette

Avoid confusion with palate, 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