palm
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palm¹
- /pɑːm/ England, Wales
- /pɑm/ US
- /pɑlm/ US
- /pɔm/ US
- /pɔlm/ US
- /pæm/ archaic, US
- [pɑːm] Canada
- [pɒːm] Canada
- /ˈpæm/ Ireland
- /ˈpam/ Scotland
Rhymes with -ɑːm, -ɑːlm, -ɔːm, -ɔːlm, -æm
Where it comes from
From Middle English palme, from Old English palm, palma (“palm-tree, palm-branch”), from Latin palma (“palm-tree, palm-branch, palm of the hand”), from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₂meh₂, *pl̥h₂emeh₂ (“palm of the hand”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat”). Cognate with Dutch palm, German Palme, Danish palme, Icelandic pálmur (“palm”).
noun palms · Palm
-
Any of various evergreen trees from the family Palmae or Arecaceae, which are mainly found in the tropics.
Similar: palm tree
- A branch or leaf of the palm, anciently borne or worn as a symbol of victory or rejoicing. A great multitude […] stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palmes in their hands.
- Triumph; victory.
- Any of the twenty-three awards that can be earned after obtaining the Eagle Scout rank, but generally only before turning eighteen years old.
palm²
- /pɑːm/ England, Wales
- /pɑm/ US
- /pɑlm/ US
- /pɔm/ US
- /pɔlm/ US
- /pæm/ archaic, US
- [pɑːm] Canada
- [pɒːm] Canada
- /ˈpæm/ Ireland
- /ˈpam/ Scotland
Rhymes with -ɑːm, -ɑːlm, -ɔːm, -ɔːlm, -æm
Where it comes from
From Middle English palme, paume, from Old French palme, paulme, paume (“palm of the hand, ball, tennis”), from Latin palma (“palm of the hand, hand-breadth”), from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₂(e)meh₂ (“palm of the hand”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat”). Doublet of palmo, palma, and pam. Cognate with Ancient Greek παλάμη (palámē, “palm of the hand”), Old English folm (“palm of the hand”), Old Irish lám (“hand”).
noun palms
- The inner and somewhat concave part of the human hand or other primate hand that extends from the wrist to the bases of the fingers. On the boys' palms were handfuls of sand.
- The corresponding part of the forefoot of a nonprimate mammal.
-
Synonym of hand, any of various units of length notionally derived from the breadth of the palm, formalized in England as 4 inches and now chiefly used for the height of horses
He found it to be ninety-five fathoms wide, and five palms deep at a place of average depth
Similar: hand, any of various units of length notionally derived from the breadth of the palm, formalized in England as 4 inches and now chiefly used for the height of horses
- Any of various units of length notionally derived from the length of the palm from the wrist to the base of the fingers.
- A metallic disk attached to a strap and worn in the palm of the hand; used to push the needle through the canvas, in sewing sails, etc.
- The broad flattened part of an antler, as of a full-grown fallow deer; so called as resembling the palm of the hand with its protruding fingers. They watched until the younger bull received a second cut, this one on his flank from a point on the brow palm that would have impaled him if he hadn't jumped out of the way.
- The flat inner face of an anchor fluke.
verb palms · palming · palmed
- To hold or conceal something in the palm of the hand, e.g., for an act of sleight of hand or to steal something.
- To hold something without bending the fingers significantly. John palmed the ball.
- To move something with the palm of the hand. The home side's goalkeeper Asmir Begovic managed to palm the drive on to the post but the sheer pace of the shot forced the ball into the net.
- To use one's palm as identification to get through a door or security checkpoint. I palmed in to work.
- To bribe. He never again appeared in the house where practices of this description are carried on every night, and where officers of the police are palmed (bribed) for their forbearance.
Palm³
Where it comes from
From Middle High German palme, balme, related to palm (“palm tree”).
proper noun Palms
- A surname mainly of Scandinavian origin.
Palm⁴
Where it comes from
See palm.
noun Palms
- Alternative letter-case form of palm
PALM⁵
proper noun
- Acronym of Patent Application Locating and Monitoring
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: palm tree, laurel wreath, ribbon, decoration, medallion, medal, handle, areca, coconut, biscuit, stew, trough, hollow, hand, thenar, pocket
Translations
Every language
noun inner, concave part of hand
| Español | palma, palma de la mano |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 손바닥 sonbadak |
| 日本語 | 手のひら tenohira, 掌 tenohira |
| 中文 | 手掌 shǒuzhǎng |
| हिन्दी | हथेली hathelī |
| Kiswahili | kikofi, kiganja |
| Português | palma, palma da mão |
| Français | paume |
| Deutsch | Handfläche, Handteller |
| Italiano | palmo |
| Ελληνικά | παλάμη palámi |
| Română | palmă |
| Русский | ладо́нь ladónʹ, до́лонь dólonʹ, длань dlanʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | gan bàn tay, lòng bàn tay |
| العربية | رَاحَة rāḥa, كَفّ kaff |
| עברית | כַּף יָד kaf yád, כַּף kaf, פִּסַּת יָד pisát yad |
noun corresponding part of the forefoot of a lower mammal
| 日本語 | 肉球 nikukyū |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | kikofi, kiganja |
| עברית | כַּף kaf |
noun metallic disc attached to a strap
| Italiano | guardapalma |
|---|
noun broad flattened part of an antler
| Français | empaumure |
|---|
verb to hold or conceal something in the palm of the hand
| 日本語 | 握る nigiru, 手のひらに隠す te no hira ni kakusu |
|---|---|
| Português | empalmar, palmar |
verb to move something with the palm of the hand
| Kiswahili | kikofi |
|---|
Talk about this word "palm." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/palm. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. palm. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/palm "palm." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/palm.Cite this
@misc{palm_2026,
title = {palm},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/palm},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
