palate

pal·ate

noun \ˈpa-lət\

Definition of PALATE

1

: the roof of the mouth separating the mouth from the nasal cavity

2

a : a usually intellectual taste or liking <too ornate for my palate>

b : the sense of taste

Examples of PALATE

1. The restaurant serves Korean food adapted for the American palate.
2. She's been working hard on a menu that will please the palates of all her guests.

Origin of PALATE

Middle English, from Latin palatum

First Known Use: 14th century

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

Rhymes with PALATE

ballot, callet, mallet, palette, pallet, sallet, shallot, valet

pal·ate

noun \ˈpal-ət\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of PALATE

: the roof of the mouth separating the mouth from the nasal cavity—see hard palate, soft palate

Illustration of PALATE

palate

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Roof of the mouth, separating the oral and nasal cavities. The front two-thirds, the hard palate, is a plate of bone covered by mucous membrane. It gives the tongue a surface against which to make speech sounds and shape food during chewing and keeps pressures in the mouth from closing off the nasal passage. The flexible soft palate behind it is made of muscle and connective tissue and ends in the uvula, a fleshy projection. It rises to block the nasal cavity (see nose) and upper pharynx off from the mouth and lower pharynx for swallowing or to create a vacuum for drinking. Cleft palate, a congenital disorder involving a gap in the palate, can be corrected surgically.