Palmate
/ˈpæl.meɪt/noun
Having the shape of a hand or spreading like the fingers of a hand.
Did you know?Latin palma meant both “palm of the hand” and “palm tree,” because the tree’s leaves were imagined as hand-like—so the word’s history is literally built on a visual spell of shape and symbol.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pel-
“to spread, flat surface”
Latin
Latin
palma
“the palm of the hand; a palm tree”
Late Latin
Latin
palmatus
“shaped like a hand; marked with palm branches”
16th Century
English
palmate
“having the shape of a hand or palm-like divisions”
Modern English
English
palmate
“having lobes or parts radiating from a common point, like fingers from the palm”