pallium
Americannoun
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a large, rectangular mantle worn by men in ancient Greece and Rome.
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Ecclesiastical.
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a woolen vestment worn by the pope and conferred by him on archbishops, consisting, in its present form, of a narrow ringlike band that rests on the shoulders, with two dependent bands or lappets, one in front and one behind.
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an altar cloth; a pall.
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Anatomy. the entire cortex of the cerebrum.
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Zoology. a mantle, as of a mollusk or bird.
noun
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a garment worn by men in ancient Greece or Rome, made by draping a large rectangular cloth about the body
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RC Church a woollen vestment consisting of a band encircling the shoulders with two lappets hanging from it front and back: worn by the pope, all archbishops, and (as a mark of special honour) some bishops
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Also called: mantle. anatomy the cerebral cortex and contiguous white matter
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zoology another name for mantle
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pallium
before 1150; Old English < Latin (not attested in ME); see pall 1
Explanation
In ancient times, philosophers and teachers commonly wore a pallium, or cloak, draped over their shoulders. Today, a pallium is mainly known as a religious vestment worn by the Pope. In the Catholic church, a pallium is worn only by the Pope and a few archbishops. This long, narrow band is white, and it has to be knitted at least in part from lambswool from sheep raised by Trappist monks. This garment, which is adorned with six black crosses, has a lot of religious significance to devout Catholics. The word itself simply means "cloak" in Latin.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Activity increased in the pallium, a higher brain region associated with complex behaviors.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 2, 2026
And even the Roman toga was contrasted with the Greek pallium cloak, in an effort to articulate Roman identity.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
Benedict has been laying in state without any papal regalia, such as a crosier, a silver staff with a crucifix, or a pallium, a band of cloth worn around the neck worn by archdiocesan bishops.
From Reuters ● Jan. 3, 2023
Bishop Piero Marini adjusting the pallium, a collar of lamb’s wool and part of the badge of office, of Benedict during his inaugural Mass on April 24, 2005, in St. Peter’s Square.
From New York Times ● Dec. 31, 2022
It was in these circumstances that Hincmar succeeded, and in 847 Pope Leo IV. sent him the pallium.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 4 "Hero" to "Hindu Chronology" by Various
Their analysis revealed that the fibers in the birds’ pallia are organized in a manner strikingly similar to those of fibers in mammal cortexes.
From Science Magazine ● Sep. 24, 2020
The neurons that fired in agreement with the crows’ action were located in the pallia, the researchers report today, also in Science.
From Science Magazine ● Sep. 24, 2020
The scientists compared the images of the birds’ pallia with those of rat, monkey, and human cortices.
From Science Magazine ● Sep. 24, 2020
Their white wool will be woven into pallia, the circular bands two inches wide with two twelve-inch pendants, which the Pope gives to patriarchs, primates, archbishops.
From Time Magazine Archive
Given his blessing, the gentle animals will be coddled until Easter when their wool is shorn, woven into the pallia which the Pope gives to patriarchs, primates and archbishops as a symbol of their office.
From Time Magazine Archive
Also being buried with Benedict are the palliums, distinguished hallmarks of his clerical career.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 4, 2023
Also placed inside will be three palliums - bands of wool cloth worn around the neck by popes, archdiocesan bishops and other bishops with territorial jurisdiction, to signify their roles as shepherds of their flocks.
From Reuters ● Jan. 4, 2023
In 1151 Cardinal Paparo arrived in Ireland with the palliums which had been solicited by St. Malachy.
From An Illustrated History of Ireland from AD 400 to 1800 by Cusack, Mary Frances
The archbishops were expected to make generous contributions on receiving their palliums, and the bishops and abbots upon their confirmation.
From An Introduction to the History of Western Europe by Robinson, James Harvey
His Holiness had received him with open arms, and appointed him Apostolic Legate; but he declined to give the palliums, until they were formally demanded by the Irish prelates.
From An Illustrated History of Ireland from AD 400 to 1800 by Cusack, Mary Frances
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
