pate

¹

[ peyt ]

noun

1. the crown or top of the head.
2. the head.
3. the brain.

pâté

²

[ pah-tey, pa‑; French pah-tey, pa‑ ]

noun

, plural pâ·tés [pah-, teyz, pa‑, pah-, tey],

1. French Cooking. a paste or spread made of puréed or finely chopped liver, meat, fish, game, etc., served as an hors d'oeuvre.
2. foie gras.

pâte

³

[ paht ]

noun

1. porcelain paste used in ceramic work.

pate

¹

/ peɪt /

noun

1. the head, esp with reference to baldness or (in facetious use) intelligence

pâté

²

/ pɑte; ˈpæteɪ /

noun

1. a spread of very finely minced liver, poultry, etc, served usually as an hors d'oeuvre
2. a savoury pie of meat or fish

Word History and Origins

Origin of pate¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, of uncertain origin

Origin of pate²

From French, dating back to 1695–1705; paste, -ee

Origin of pate³

First recorded in 1860–65; from French: literally, “dough, batter, paste”; paste

Word History and Origins

Origin of pate¹

C14: of unknown origin

Origin of pate²

from French: paste ¹

Example Sentences

In a trim dark suit, his pate glinting from the fluorescent lights in the cramped, low-ceilinged room, Locke cut a confident figure, a video of the meeting shows.

From ProPublica

Steffen, a 53-year-old mountain of a man with a crystal-ball-bald pate, hosts a podcast and publishes a newsletter called “The Snap Forward.”

From ProPublica

The mushroom ends up a little lighter in texture but deeper in flavor, almost like a faux liver pâté.

From Washington Post

Hugging a boundary between tectonic pates, the Ring of Fire is an open seam on the planet’s interior.

From Singularity Hub 

“We believe we have an opportunity to be an endemic product that’s part of any gamer’s kit,” Pate continued.

From Digiday

I confess a particular weakness for his chocolate biscuits and pork pate with onion marmalade.

From The Daily Beast

He had a round, very wide face, light eyes full of pride, a dimpled chin, a bald pate with a gray fringe.

From The Daily Beast

It is littered with pate rind, bread crumbs, greaseproof paper, orange peel and banana skins.

From The Daily Beast

Meier, who has the round face and thinning pate of a friar, is as close to a celebrity as you can find in the videogame world.

From The Daily Beast

Whether it is a simple roasted chicken, pate, or tuna Napoleon, each plate is a true culinary pleasure and delivers every time.

From The Daily Beast

His gray hair was so accurately combed and flattened over his yellow pate that it made it look like a furrowed field.

From Project Gutenberg

He bobbed his head and shot straight forward, landing his deputy-excellency fairly in the stomach, with his bare woolly pate.

From Project Gutenberg

Sadly and prayerfully while she slept lifted he the retributive mallet and beat in her brittle pate.

From Project Gutenberg

You beat your pate, and fancy wit will come; / 20 Knock as you please, there's nobody at home.

From Project Gutenberg

"Oh, the cause must not suffer for want of a broken pate or two," replied Annys, merrily.

From Project Gutenberg