n.
Pronunciation: ' p ā -l ē - ə
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural pa · le · ae \ -l ē - ˌ ē \
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, chaff ― more at PALLET
Date: 1753
1 : one of the chaffy scales on the receptacle of many composite plants
2 : the upper bract that with the lemma encloses the flower in grasses
– pa · le · al \ -l ē - ə l \ adjective