palmate

/ˈpɑmeit/

//ˈpɑmeit// adj

"palmate" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“palmate” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having three or more lobes or veins arising from a common point.

Corpus desk

Index EN-palmate · palmate · English

palmate · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for palmate
PropertyValue
Headwordpalmate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpɑmeit/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “palmate” in English

palmateranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

palmate is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈpɑmeit/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

palmate has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin palmātus (“hand-shaped, palm-leaf shaped”), from palma (“palm, palm-tree”). Equivalent to palm + -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Compare French palmé. The correct English form is palmate, spelled P-A-L-M-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having three or more lobes or veins arising from a common point.
  2. 2
    Having more than three leaflets arising from a common point, often in the form of a fan.
  3. 3
    Having webbed appendage; palmated.
  4. 4
    Hand-like; shaped like a hand with extended fingers

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how palmate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Although palmate leaves are typical of most Western maples, a number of species have leaves without lobes.
  2. The horse chestnut, buckeye and hickory trees have palmate leaves. That is, the broad oval leaflets are all set around the tip of a common leaf stem, spreading in a circle, like the ribs of a palm leaf fan.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin palmātus (“hand-shaped, palm-leaf shaped”), from palma (“palm, palm-tree”). Equivalent to palm + -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Compare French palmé.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "palmate"?
"palmate" is spelled P-A-L-M-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɑmeit/.
What does "palmate" mean?
As an adjective, "palmate" means: Having three or more lobes or veins arising from a common point.
How do you pronounce "palmate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "palmate" is /ˈpɑmeit/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "palmate"?
Learned borrowing from Latin palmātus (“hand-shaped, palm-leaf shaped”), from palma (“palm, palm-tree”). Equivalent to palm + -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Compare French palmé. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list