palate

views updated Jun 27 2018

palate The colloquial link of ‘palate’ to taste, and thence more generally to fancy, liking, and pleasurable sensation, has a reasonable basis: the presence of sensory receptors for taste. There are however many more of these on the tongue than on the palate, and many of the subtleties of ‘taste’ are in fact dependent upon the sense of smell.

The palate is defined anatomically as the roof of the mouth. Its ‘hard’ component is part of the skull: a shelf of bone which separates the mouth from the nasal cavity, covered by mucous membrane. The ‘soft’ component extends back and downwards, to a free edge with the uvula at its centre; it consists of muscle ‘sandwiched’ within mucous membrane. The muscle takes part automatically in the complexities of swallowing.

An intact palate is necessary for speaking normally — as witness the interference with speech in the condition of ‘cleft palate’ — a congenital defect which goes along with harelip, representing a failure of embryonic tissues to join up appropriately.

Sheila Jennett


See also cleft lip and palate; eating; swallowing; taste and smell.

palate

views updated Jun 27 2018

pal·ate / ˈpalit/ • n. 1. the roof of the mouth, separating the cavities of the nose and the mouth in vertebrates.2. a person's appreciation of taste and flavor, esp. when sophisticated and discriminating: a fine range of drink for sophisticated palates. ∎  a person's taste or liking: the suggestions may not suit everyone's palate. ∎  taste or flavor of wine or beer: a wine with a zingy, peachy palate.

PALATE

views updated May 29 2018

PALATE. An anatomical term for the roof of the mouth, behind the ALVEOLAR ridge, often described as having two parts: the hard palate (the roof of the mouth proper) and the soft palate (the VELUM). The adjective palatal is used to describe sounds made by raising the front of the tongue towards the hard palate. See CONSONANT, SPEECH.

palate

views updated Jun 11 2018

palate The roof of the mouth; it separates the nasal and mouth cavities. In Mammalia and Crocodilia bones project inward from the jaws to form a false palate below the original palate, so extending the nasal cavity and moving its opening to a position in the throat. In mammals the bony part of the (false) hard palate is extended at the rear of the mouth by membrane and connective tissue which form the soft palate.

palate

views updated May 17 2018

palate The roof of the mouth cavity of vertebrates, which separates the buccal and nasal cavities. In mammals it is divided into two zones, the bony hard palate and the soft palate, and completely separates the buccal cavity from the air passage to enable simultaneous eating and breathing.

palate

views updated May 29 2018

palate (pal-ăt) n. the roof of the mouth, which separates the mouth from the nasal cavity. hard p. the front part of the palate. It is formed by processes of the maxillae and palatine bones and is covered by mucous membrane. soft p. the posterior part of the palate: a movable fold of mucous membrane that tapers at the back of the mouth to form the uvula. See also cleft palate.

palate

views updated May 23 2018

palate XIX (palet). — L. palātum; of unkn. orig.
Hence vb. taste, relish. XVII. palatble XVII. palatal XIX. — F. palatal. The comb. form of palate is palato- XVIII.

palate

views updated Jun 08 2018

palate Roof of the mouth, comprising the bony front part known as the hard palate, and the softer, fleshy part at the back, known as the soft palate.

palate

views updated May 08 2018

palate The roof of the mouth; it separates the nasal and mouth cavities.