Word of the Day

: October 15, 2008

palmary

adj PAL-muh-ree

What It Means

: outstanding, best

palmary in Context

Louis Pasteur is best known for originating pasteurization, but he also made palmary contributions in the field of immunology, including finding a vaccination for anthrax.

Did You Know?

English speakers have been using "palmary" since the 1600s, and its history stretches back even further than that. It was the ancient Romans who first used their “palmarius” to describe someone or something extraordinary. “Palmarius” literally translates as "deserving the palm." But what does that mean exactly? Was it inspired by palms of hands coming together in applause? That would be a good guess, but the direct inspiration for “palmarius” was the palm leaf given to a victor in a sports competition. That other palm, the one on the hand, is loosely related. The Romans thought the palm tree's leaves resembled an outstretched palm of the hand; they thus used their word “palma” for both meanings, just as we do with "palm" in English.