palmary

adjective

pal·​ma·​ry ˈpal-mə-rē How to pronounce palmary (audio)
ˈpä-,
ˈpäl-,
ˈpȯ-,
ˈpȯl- How to pronounce palmary (audio)

Did you know?

It was the ancient Romans who first used palmarius to describe someone or something extraordinary. Palmarius literally translates as "deserving the palm." But what does that mean exactly? Was it inspired by palms of hands coming together in applause? That would be a good guess, but the direct inspiration for palmarius was the palm leaf given to a victor in a sports competition. That other palm—the one on the hand—is loosely related. The Romans thought the palm tree's leaves resembled an outstretched palm of the hand; they thus used their word palma for both meanings, just as we do with palm in English. Now, when we award a noun with the modifier palmary, it signifies that thing as the choicest among possible examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin palmarius deserving the palm, from palma

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of palmary was in 1657

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near palmary

Cite this Entry

“Palmary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/palmary. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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