I. ˈpä]m, ˈpȧ] also ]lm; archaic ˈpam noun
( -s )
Etymology: in sense 1, from Middle English palme, from Old English palm, palma, palme; akin to Old High German palma palm tree, Old Norse palmr; all from a prehistoric North Germanic-West Germanic word borrowed from Latin palma palm of the hand, palm tree (from the resemblance of its leaves to an outstretched hand); in other senses, from Middle English paume, from Middle French, from Latin palma; akin to Old English folm palm of the hand, Old High German folma, Greek palamē, Sanskrit pāṇi hand, Old English flōr floor — more at floor
1.
a. : a plant of the family Palmae — see betel palm , cabbage palm , coconut palm , fan palm , feather palm , piassava , palmetto , palmyra , rattan , wax palm
b.
(1) : a leaf of the palm borne or worn as a symbol of rejoicing or victory : palm branch
(2) : a branch of any of various trees or shrubs (as hazel, willow, laurel, yew, larch) used especially in religious observances as a substitute for symbolic palm ; also : a tree or shrub yielding such palms
c.
(1) : a symbol or token of superiority, success, or triumph
(2) : the quality or state of being superior, successful, or triumphant
d. : an addition to a military or other honorary decoration in the form of a palm frond used especially to indicate that the wearer has a second time merited the basic decoration
2.
a.
(1) : the somewhat concave part of the human hand between the bases of the fingers and the wrist upon which the fingers close when flexed
(2) : the corresponding part of the forefoot of a lower mammal
b. : merus
3. : a flat expanded part especially when at the end of a slenderer base or stalk: as
a. : the broad flattened part of an antler (as of a moose)
b. : the blade of an oar or paddle
c. : the end of a bar or pipe flattened to provide a surface for bolting or riveting to a support
d.
(1) : the flat inner face of an anchor fluke — see anchor illustration
(2) : fluke II 1
e. : a flat surface on a shaft strut of a ship's hull or on the end of a deck stanchion
4.
[Latin palmus, from palma ]
: any of various units of length based on the breadth of the hand and varying from around 3 to 4 inches or on the length of the hand from the wrist to the ends of the fingers and varying from around 7 to 10 inches
5. : something that covers the palm of the hand: as
a. : a piece of leather or heavy canvas fitted to the palm for protection when sewing heavy material (as harness leather or a sail) by hand and often equipped with a metal boss or slug for pushing the needle through the material
b. : the part of a glove that covers the palm
a fabric glove with soft suede palm
6.
[ palm (III) \]
: an act of palming (as of cards, dice, or coins)
did a skillful palm of the extra card
II. adjective
1. : of or relating to a palm (as the palm plant or the palm of the hand)
palm leaves
a firm palm pressure
2. : derived from or made of palm
palm fiber
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. : to touch with the palm: as
a. : stroke with the palm or hand
b. : to shake hands with
c. : to allow (a basketball) to remain in contact with the hand while moving the hand and arm thus usually committing a violation
2.
a. : to conceal in or with the hand
palm a card
b. : to abstract by picking up stealthily and concealing
likely to palm any small thing left lying around
3. : to impose by fraud — used with on or upon
trash fit only to be palmed on the unwary
— compare palm off
4. : bribe , tip
IV. abbreviation
palmistry