1eng. lang. arts a board with a curved edge and a hole for the thumb, on which a painter mixes colors2[usually singular] the range of colors, tastes, or qualities that are included in things such as pictures, food, and music: palette of the reds and blues of the artist’s palette3computers the choice of colors or shapes that are available in a computer program [Origin: 1700–1800 French, Old French pale spade]