palette

C1 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈpælɪt/ UK /ˈpælɪt/ See IPA manual

Homophones

pallet /ˈpælɪt/

Freq #22764

Meanings

1

noun
a thin board or other flat surface on which an artist arranges and mixes paints

The painter blended blue and white on her palette.
2

noun
the range of colors used in a work or available to an artist or designer

The room's muted palette combines gray, green, and pale gold.
3

noun
a range of expressive choices, techniques, or options available in a particular activity

The composer added electronic sounds to her musical palette.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a thin board or other flat... artist's palettepaint board

2 noun · the range of colors used in... color rangecolor schemegamut

3 noun · a range of expressive... range repertoire selection

Word family

Derived forms palettedpalettizepalettization

Related forms paint pigment color pallet

Etymology

Borrowed from French palette, a diminutive of pale, 'shovel or blade,' ultimately from Latin pala, 'spade.' The artist's board was named for its small, flat shape. Palette and pallet are historical doublets, but their modern meanings and spellings are distinct.

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# palette

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈpælɪt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈpælɪt/
**Frequency rank:** 22764

## Meanings
1. a thin board or other flat surface on which an artist arranges and mixes paints
2. the range of colors used in a work or available to an artist or designer
3. a range of expressive choices, techniques, or options available in a particular activity

## Examples
- The painter blended blue and white on her palette.
- The room's muted palette combines gray, green, and pale gold.
- The composer added electronic sounds to her musical palette.

## Synonyms
- color range
- color scheme
- gamut
- range
- repertoire

## Derived Forms
- paletted
- palettize
- palettization

## Related Forms
- paint
- pigment
- color
- pallet

## Etymology
Borrowed from French palette, a diminutive of pale, 'shovel or blade,' ultimately from Latin pala, 'spade.' The artist's board was named for its small, flat shape. Palette and pallet are historical doublets, but their modern meanings and spellings are distinct.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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