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, adjectiveWords nearby palate
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
Medical definitions for palate
palate
[ păl′ĭt ]
n.
The bony and muscular partition between the oral and nasal cavities; the roof of the mouth.
Scientific 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.
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.