palm
/pɑm/noun, verb
palm is spelled P-A-L-M: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,838th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, palm means “Any of various evergreen trees from the family Palmae or Arecaceae, which are mainly found in the tropics” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of palm is palms.
How many letters and syllables are in palm?
| Letters | 4: P-A-L-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 17 times per million words; the 4,838th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is palm?
Palm appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,838th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce palm?
- /pɑːm/
- US /pɑm/
- US /pɑlm/
Palm has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-palm.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with palm?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as palm from its last stressed vowel (/ɑm/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: lamp.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of palm
- palms plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- palming participle, present
- palmed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does palm mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of various evergreen trees from the family Palmae or Arecaceae, which are mainly found in the tropics.
- 2
A branch or leaf of the palm, anciently borne or worn as a symbol of victory or rejoicing.
- 3
Triumph; victory.
- 4
Any of the twenty-three awards that can be earned after obtaining the Eagle Scout rank, but generally only before turning eighteen years old.
- 5
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.
- 6
The corresponding part of the forefoot of a nonprimate mammal.
- 7
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
- 8
Any of various units of length notionally derived from the length of the palm from the wrist to the base of the fingers.
- 9
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.
- 10
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.
- 11
The flat inner face of an anchor fluke.
verb
- 1
To hold or conceal something in the palm of the hand, e.g., for an act of sleight of hand or to steal something.
- 2
To hold something without bending the fingers significantly.
John palmed the ball.
- 3
To move something with the palm of the hand.
- 4
To use one's palm as identification to get through a door or security checkpoint.
I palmed in to work.
- 5
UKobsoleteslangTo bribe.
noun
- 1
Alternative letter-case form of palm.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Palm in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | paume , empaumure |
| German | Handfläche, Handteller |
| Portuguese | palma, palma da mão , empalmar, palmar |
| Spanish | palma, palma de la mano |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does palm come 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”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).