palm
noun
- central region of the front of the hand
- anthropic unit of length, based on the width of the human palm and then variously standardized
verb
- to stroke with the palm of the hand
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /pɑːm/ / /pɑm/ / /pɑlm/
name
Etymology: From Middle High German palme, balme, related to palm (“palm tree”).
- A surname mainly of Scandinavian origin.
noun
Etymology: See palm.
- Alternative letter-case form of palm.
verb
Etymology: From Middle English palme, paume, from Old French palme, paulme, paume (“palm of the hand, ball, tennis”), from Latin palma (“palm of the hand, hand-breadth”), from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₂(e)meh₂ (“palm of the hand”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat”). Doublet of palmo, palma, and pam. Cognate with Ancient Greek παλάμη (palámē, “palm of the hand”), Old English folm (“palm of the hand”), Old Irish lám (“hand”).
- To hold or conceal something in the palm of the hand, e.g., for an act of sleight of hand or to steal something.
- To hold something without bending the fingers significantly.
“John palmed the ball.”
- To move something with the palm of the hand.
“The home side's goalkeeper Asmir Begovic managed to palm the drive on to the post but the sheer pace of the shot forced the ball into the net.”
- To use one's palm as identification to get through a door or security checkpoint.
“I palmed in to work.”
“She palmed the door as she talked to the security guard.”
- To bribe.
“He never again appeared in the house where practices of this description are carried on every night, and where officers of the police are palmed (bribed) for their forbearance.”