Adjacent Words

Palm definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PALM, n. p`am.. [L. palma.]
1. The inner part of the hand.
2. A hand or hand's breadth; a lineal measure of three inches.
3. The broad triangular part of an anchor at the end of the arms.
4. The name of many species of plants, but particularly of the date-tree or great palm, a native of Asia and Africa.
The palms constitute a natural order of monocotyledonous plants,with a simple cylindric stem, terminating in a crown of leaves or fronds, within which rises a tuft of flowers and fruits; all natives of warm climates. They vary in size fRomans 2 to more than 100 feet in highth.
5. Branches of the palm being worn in token of victory, hence the word signifies superiority, victory, triumph. The palm was adopted as an emblem of victory, it is said, because the tree is so elastic as when pressed, to rise and recover its correct position.
Namur subdued is England's palm alone.
6. Among seamen, an instrument used in sewing canvas instead of a thimble.
PALM, v.t. p`am. To conceal in the palm of the hand.
They palmed the trick that lost the game.
1. To impose by fraud.
For you may palm upon us new for old.
2. To handle.
3. To stroke with the hand.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the inner surface of the hand from the wrist to the base of the fingers [syn: palm, thenar]
2: a linear unit based on the length or width of the human hand
3: any plant of the family Palmae having an unbranched trunk crowned by large pinnate or palmate leaves [syn: palm, palm tree]
4: an award for winning a championship or commemorating some other event [syn: decoration, laurel wreath, medal, medallion, palm, ribbon] v
1: touch, lift, or hold with the hands; "Don't handle the merchandise" [syn: handle, palm]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English, from Latin palma palm of the hand, palm tree; from the resemblance of the tree's leaves to the outstretched hand; akin to Greek palam? palm of the hand, Old English folm, Old Irish lám hand Date: before 12th century 1. any of a family (Palmae syn. Arecaceae) of mostly tropical or subtropical monocotyledonous trees, shrubs, or vines with usually a simple stem and a terminal crown of large pinnate or fan-shaped leaves 2. a leaf of the palm as a symbol of victory or rejoicing; also a branch (as of laurel) similarly used 3. a symbol of triumph or superiority; also victory, triumph 4. an addition to a military decoration in the form of a palm frond especially to indicate a second award of the basic decoration • palmlike adjective II. noun Etymology: Middle English paume, palme, from Anglo-French, from Latin palma Date: 14th century 1. the somewhat concave part of the human hand between the bases of the fingers and the wrist or the corresponding part of the forefoot of a lower mammal 2. a flat expanded part especially at the end of a base or stalk (as of an anchor) 3. [Latin palmus, from palma] a unit of length based on the breadth or length of the hand 4. something (as a part of a glove) that covers the palm of the hand 5. an act of palming (as of cards) III. transitive verb Date: 1673 1. a. to conceal in or with the hand <palm a card> b. to take or pick up stealthily c. to hand stealthily <palmed him a dollar bill> 2. to impose by fraud <a second imposter to be palmed upon you — Sir Walter Scott> 3. to touch with the palm: as a. to stroke with the palm or hand b. to allow (a basketball) to come to rest momentarily in the hand while dribbling thus committing a violation

Britannica Concise

Any of about 2,800 species of flowering, subtropical trees, shrubs, and vines that make up the family Arecaceae (or Palmae). Many are economically important. Palms furnish food, shelter, clothing, timber, fuel, building materials, fibers, starch, oils, waxes, and wines for local populations in the tropics. Many species have very limited ranges; some grow only on single islands. Their fast growth and many by-products make exploitation of the rain forest appealing to agribusiness. The usually tall, unbranched, columnar trunk is crowned by a tuft of large, pleated, fan- or feather-shaped leaves, with often prickly petioles (leafstalks), the bases of which remain after leaves drop, often clothing the trunk. Trunk height and diameter, leaf length, and seed size vary greatly. Small flowers are produced in large clusters. Among the most important palms are the sugar palm (Arenga pinnata, or saccharifera), coconut palm, date palm, and cabbage palmetto.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. 1 any usu. tropical tree of the family Palmae, with no branches and a mass of large pinnate or fan-shaped leaves at the top. 2 the leaf of this tree as a symbol of victory. 3 a supreme excellence. b a prize for this. 4 a branch of various trees used instead of a palm in non-tropical countries, esp. in celebrating Palm Sunday. Phrases and idioms: palm oil oil from the fruit of any of various palms. Palm Sunday the Sunday before Easter, celebrating Christ's entry into Jerusalem. palm wine an alcoholic drink made from fermented palm sap. Derivatives: palmaceous adj. Etymology: OE palm(a) f. Gmc f. L palma PALM(2), its leaf being likened to a spread hand 2. n. & v. --n. 1 the inner surface of the hand between the wrist and fingers. 2 the part of a glove that covers this. 3 the palmate part of an antler. --v.tr. conceal in the hand. Phrases and idioms: in the palm of one's hand under one's control or influence. palm off 1 (often foll. by on) a impose or thrust fraudulently (on a person). b cause a person to accept unwillingly or unknowingly (palmed my old typewriter off on him). 2 (often foll. by with) cause (a person) to accept unwillingly or unknowingly (palmed him off with my old typewriter). Derivatives: palmar adj. palmed adj. palmful n. (pl. -fuls). Etymology: ME paume f. OF paume f. L palma: later assim. to L

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Palm Palm, v. t. To ``grease the palm'' of; to bribe or tip. [Slang]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Palm Palm, n. [AS. palm, L. palma; -- so named fr. the leaf resembling a hand. See lst Palm, and cf. Pam.] 1. (Bot.) Any endogenous tree of the order Palm[ae] or Palmace[ae]; a palm tree. Note: Palms are perennial woody plants, often of majestic size. The trunk is usually erect and rarely branched, and has a roughened exterior composed of the persistent bases of the leaf stalks. The leaves are borne in a terminal crown, and are supported on stout, sheathing, often prickly, petioles. They are usually of great size, and are either pinnately or palmately many-cleft. There are about one thousand species known, nearly all of them growing in tropical or semitropical regions. The wood, petioles, leaves, sap, and fruit of many species are invaluable in the arts and in domestic economy. Among the best known are the date palm, the cocoa palm, the fan palm, the oil palm, the wax palm, the palmyra, and the various kinds called cabbage palm and palmetto. 2. 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 palme in their hands. --Rev. vii. 9. 3. Hence: Any symbol or token of superiority, success, or triumph; also, victory; triumph; supremacy. ``The palm of martyrdom.'' --Chaucer. So get the start of the majestic world And bear the palm alone. --Shak. Molucca palm (Bot.), a labiate herb from Asia (Molucella l[ae]vis), having a curious cup-shaped calyx. Palm cabbage, the terminal bud of a cabbage palm, used as food. Palm cat (Zo["o]l.), the common paradoxure. Palm crab (Zo["o]l.), the purse crab. Palm oil, a vegetable oil, obtained from the fruit of several species of palms, as the African oil palm (El[ae]is Guineensis), and used in the manufacture of soap and candles. See El[ae]is. Palm swift (Zo["o]l.), a small swift (Cypselus Batassiensis) which frequents the palmyra and cocoanut palms in India. Its peculiar nest is attached to the leaf of the palmyra palm. Palm toddy. Same as Palm wine. Palm weevil (Zo["o]l.), any one of mumerous species of very large weevils of the genus Rhynchophorus. The larv[ae] bore into palm trees, and are called palm borers, and grugru worms. They are considered excellent food. Palm wine, the sap of several species of palms, especially, in India, of the wild date palm (Ph[oe]nix sylvestrix), the palmyra, and the Caryota urens. When fermented it yields by distillation arrack, and by evaporation jaggery. Called also palm toddy. Palm worm, or Palmworm. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The larva of a palm weevil. (b) A centipede.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Palm Palm, n. [OE. paume, F. paume, L. palma, Gr. ?, akin to Skr. p[=a]ni hand, and E. fumble. See Fumble, Feel, and cf. 2d Palm.] 1. (Anat.) The inner and somewhat concave part of the hand between the bases of the fingers and the wrist. Clench'd her fingers till they bit the palm. --Tennyson. 2. A lineal measure equal either to the breadth of the hand or to its length from the wrist to the ends of the fingers; a hand; -- used in measuring a horse's height. Note: In Greece, the palm was reckoned at three inches. The Romans adopted two measures of this name, the lesser palm of 2.91 inches, and the greater palm of 8.73 inches. At the present day, this measure varies in the most arbitrary manner, being different in each country, and occasionally varying in the same. --Internat. Cyc. 3. (Sailmaking) A metallic disk, attached to a strap, and worn the palm of the hand, -- used to push the needle through the canvas, in sewing sails, etc. 4. (Zo["o]l.) 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. 5. (Naut.) The flat inner face of an anchor fluke.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Palm Palm, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Palmed; p. pr. & vb. n. Palming.] 1. To handle. [Obs.] --Prior. 2. To manipulate with, or conceal in, the palm of the hand; to juggle. They palmed the trick that lost the game. --Prior. 3. To impose by fraud, as by sleight of hand; to put by unfair means; -- usually with off. For you may palm upon us new for old. --Dryden.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(palms, palming, palmed) 1. A palm or a palm tree is a tree that grows in hot countries. It has long leaves growing at the top, and no branches. N-COUNT 2. The palm of your hand is the inside part. Dornberg slapped the table with the palm of his hand... He wiped his sweaty palm. N-COUNT: usu poss N, N of n 3. If you have someone or something in the palm of your hand, you have control over them. Johnson thought he had the board of directors in the palm of his hand... PHRASE: Ns inflect

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Token of victory, prize, crown, laurel, bays, trophies. 2. Hand-breadth, hand. 3. Palm-tree. II. v. a. 1. Conceal in the palm (as a juggler). 2. Impose (by fraud), obtrude, pass off. 3. Handle, touch.

Moby Thesaurus

Old Mug, abstract, acme, acquire, and, annex, appropriate, authority, authorization, bag, bays, be-all and end-all, blue ribbon, boost, borrow, catch up, championship, chaplet, civic crown, claim, clap hands on, clasp, claw, claws, clench, clinch, clutch, clutches, come in contact, command, control, cop, crib, crown, cup, defraud, digits, directorship, dominion, drain off, draw off, effectiveness, embezzle, embrace, extort, fangs, feel, feel of, filch, finger, fingernails, fingers, first place, first prize, flick, garland, get, get hold of, glom on to, grab, grab hold of, grapple, grasp, grip, gripe, handle, hands, headship, hegemony, height, highest, hook, hooks, hug, imperium, influence, jaws, jurisdiction, kingship, laurel, laurels, lay hands on, lay hold of, leadership, lift, loot, lordship, loving cup, make off with, management, mandibles, manipulate, mastership, mastery, maxillae, maximum, meathooks, mitts, most, nail, nails, ne plus ultra, new high, nip, nip up, nippers, palms, palpate, paramountcy, partake, pass off, paw, pilfer, pillage, pincers, pinch, ply, poach, pocket, poke at, possess, pot, pounces, power, presidency, primacy, prod, purloin, receive, record, rule, run away with, rustle, say, scrounge, seize, shoplift, snap up, snare, snatch, snitch, sovereignty, steal, supremacy, sway, swindle, swipe, take, take by assault, take by storm, take hold of, take possession, talons, tap, teeth, thieve, thumb, top spot, touch, trophy, twiddle, unguals, ungulae, walk off with, whip up, wield, wreath, zenith