palate

[ pal-it ]
/ ˈpæl ɪt /

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.

Origin of palate

1350–1400; Middle English palat < Latin palātum roof of the mouth

OTHER WORDS FROM palate

pal·ate·less, adjective pal·ate·like, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH palate

palate palette pallet

Example sentences from the Web for palate

British Dictionary definitions for palate

palate
/ (ˈpælɪt) /

noun

the roof of the mouth, separating the oral and nasal cavities See hard palate, soft palate Related adjective: palatine
the sense of taste she 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

undefined palate

Avoid confusion with palette, pallet 1

Medical definitions for palate

palate
[ pălĭt ]

n.

The bony and muscular partition between the oral and nasal cavities; the roof of the mouth.

Scientific definitions for palate

palate
[ pălĭt ]

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.

Cultural definitions for palate

palate
[ (pal-uht) ]

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

notes for palate

It is sometimes said that a person has a “cultivated palate” if he or she has a discerning taste for food.