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Definition of palette - 4 dictionary results

pal⋅ette

  [pal-it]
Use palette in a Sentence
–noun
1. a thin and usually oval or oblong board or tablet with a thumb hole at one end, used by painters for holding and mixing colors.
2. any other flat surface used by a painter for this purpose.
3. the set of colors on such a board or surface.
4. the range of colors used by a particular artist.
5. the variety of techniques or range of any art: a lush but uneven musical palette.
6. the complete range of colors made available by a computer graphics card, from which a user or program may choose those to be displayed.
7. (in ancient Egyptian art) a somewhat flattish slate object of various shapes, carved with commemorative scenes or motifs or, esp. in the smaller pieces, containing a recessed area probably for holding eye makeup and often used as a votive offering.
8. Also, pallette. Armor. a small plate defending the front of the armpit when the arm is lifted; gusset.
Origin:
1615–25; < F, MF < It paletta, dim. of pala shovel < L pāla; see -ette

Related forms:
pal⋅ette⋅like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To palette
pal·ette   (pāl'ĭt)   
n.  

  1. A board, typically with a hole for the thumb, which an artist can hold while painting and on which colors are mixed.

    1. The range of colors used in a particular painting or by a particular artist: a limited palette.

    2. The range of qualities inherent in nongraphic art forms such as music and literature.


[French, from Old French, small potter's shovel, diminutive of pale, shovel, spade, from Latin pāla; see pag- in Indo-European roots.]
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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Word Origin & History

palette 
1622, "flat thin tablet used by an artist to lay and mix colors," from Fr. palette, from O.Fr. palete "small shovel, blade," dim. of pale "shovel, blade," from L. pala "spade, shoulder blade." Transferred sense of "colors used by a particular artist" is from 1882.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Computing Dictionary

palette
colour palette

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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