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Definition of palate - 6 dictionary results
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pal⋅ate

  [pal-it]
Use palate in a Sentence
–noun
1. 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.
2. the sense of taste: a dinner to delight the palate.
3. intellectual or aesthetic taste; mental appreciation.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME palat < L palātum roof of the mouth

Related forms:
pal⋅ate⋅less, adjective
pal⋅ate⋅like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pal·ate   (pāl'ĭt)   
n.  

  1. The roof of the mouth in vertebrates having a complete or partial separation of the oral and nasal cavities and consisting of the hard palate and the soft palate.

  2. Botany The projecting part on the lower lip of a bilabiate corolla that closes the throat, as in a snapdragon.

  3. The sense of taste: delicacies pleasing to the most refined palate.


[Middle English, from Old French palat, from Latin palātum, perhaps of Etruscan origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

palate [(pal-uht)]

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

Note: It is sometimes said that a person has a “cultivated palate” if he or she has a discerning taste for food.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

palate 
1382, "roof of the mouth," from O.Fr. palat, from L. palatum "roof of the mouth," perhaps of Etruscan origin. Popularly considered the seat of taste, hence transferred meaning "sense of taste" (1526). Palatable "good-tasting" is attested from 1669.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: pal·ate
Pronunciation: 'pal-&t
Function: noun
: the roof of the mouth separating the mouth from the nasal cavity —see HARD PALATE, SOFT PALATE
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

palate pal·ate (pāl'ĭt)
n.
The bony and muscular partition between the oral and nasal cavities; the roof of the mouth.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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