pallet

¹

[ pal-it ]

noun

1. a bed or mattress of straw.
2. a small or makeshift bed.

pallet

²

[ pal-it ]

noun

1. a small, low, portable platform on which goods are placed for storage or moving, as in a warehouse or vehicle.
2. a flat board or metal plate used to support ceramic articles during drying.
3. Horology.
   1. a lever with three projections, two of which intermittently lock and receive impulses from the escape wheel and one which transmits these impulses to the balance.
   2. either of the two projections of this lever that engage and release the escape wheel.
4. a painter's palette.
5. (on a pawl) a lip or projection that engages with the teeth of a ratchet wheel.
6. Printing. typeholder.
7. (in gilding) an instrument used to take up the gold leaves from the pillow and to apply and extend them.
8. a shaping tool used by potters and consisting of a flat blade or plate with a handle at one end.
9. Bookbinding.
   1. a tool for decorating the spine of a book.
   2. the stamping of the name of the binder on the inside covers of a book.

verb (used with object)

, pal·let·ed, pal·let·ing.

1. palletize.

pallet

¹

/ ˈpælɪt /

noun

1. a straw-filled mattress or bed
2. any hard or makeshift bed

pallet

²

/ ˈpælɪt /

noun

1. an instrument with a handle and a flat, sometimes flexible, blade used by potters for shaping
2. a standard-sized platform of box section open at two ends on which goods may be stacked. The open ends allow the entry of the forks of a lifting truck so that the palletized load can be raised and moved about easily
3. horology the locking lever that engages and disengages alternate end pawls with the escape wheel to give impulses to the balance
4. a variant spelling of palette
5. music a flap valve of wood faced with leather that opens to allow air from the wind chest to enter an organ pipe, causing it to sound

Usage

See palette palate

See palette palate

Word History and Origins

Origin of pallet¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English pail(l)et, from Anglo-French paillete “chaff,” equivalent to Old French paille “straw” (from Latin palea “chaff”) + -ete -ette ( def )

Origin of pallet²

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English palet, from Middle French palette palette

Word History and Origins

Origin of pallet¹

C14: from Anglo-Norman paillet, from Old French paille straw, from Latin palea straw

Origin of pallet²

C16: from Old French palette a little shovel, from pale spade, from Latin pala spade

Example Sentences

It says hundreds of pallets of supplies are waiting to be picked up by aid agencies on the Gaza side of the border and says some aid trucks are being looted by armed men.

From BBC

It took up just one square metre on a pallet but represented two years of effort and had a wholesale value of £35,000.

From BBC

“Some will have to remain in place. We’ve always had homelessness. The city housing navigator needs to stay in place. I don’t know if we need to have the pallet shelters for ever.”

From Los Angeles Times

Among them: beaded condensation dripping over products, employees moving racks of coolers between lines without changing personal protective equipment and a sample collected from a pallet jack that tested positive for listeria.

From Los Angeles Times

The 41 pallets of bananas had just been shipped to Portsmouth on a cargo ship from Colombia and then delivered by lorries to London.

From BBC

Related Words

• array
• assortment
• bag
• bale
• batch
• box
• bunch
• carton
• clump
• cluster
• crate
• heap
• package
• packet
• parcel
• pile
• quantity
• stack
• wad

Pallet Vs. Palette Vs. Palate

What’s the difference between pallet, palette, and palate?

The word pallet most commonly refers to a flat, square (often wood) platform used to hold goods for shipping (it’s sometimes called a skid). A palette is that board that painters keep their paints on while painting (most traditionally, an oval one with a thumbhole for holding). The word palate refers to the roof of the mouth. More figuratively, palate can refer to a person’s particular sense of taste (as in the way they perceive flavors), or to a person’s general, intellectual taste (as in their specific preferences for things).

All three of these words are pronounced exactly the same, and they’re always used as nouns.

The word palette is closely associated with art and color. It can also refer to a collection or range of colors or techniques. For example, the term color palette refers to a specific set of colors, such as the ones that a particular artist typically works with.

The word pallet can sometimes be used to refer to a painter’s palette, but this spelling is much less commonly used.

So how to keep all three spellings straight?

A palette is the thing a painter always keeps on hand—literally—while painting. In this way, you can think of a painter’s palette (which is spelled with one L) as a painter’s pal.

A pallet (ending in -let) is the platform that lets shippers easily transport goods.

Think of palate (ending in -ate) as a word related to what you ate.

Here’s an example of pallet, palette, and palate used correctly in a sentence.

Example: The art installation consists of wooden pallets painted in a vibrant palette of colors—it’s interesting, but it’s not quite suited to my palate. 

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between pallet, palette, and palate.

Quiz yourself on pallet vs. palette vs. palate!

Should pallet, palette, or palate be used in the following sentence?

The designer is known for using a muted color _____.