A thin board on which a painter lays and mixes colours.
"The artist wiped her brush against the wooden palette to mix a fresh coat of blue before applying it to the canvas."
In plain English: A palette is an artist's small board used to hold and mix paints before applying them to a canvas.
"The artist selected colors from her digital palette to paint the sunset."
Usage: While often used metaphorically to describe an artist's range of colors, the word should not be confused with "pallet," which refers to a wooden platform or a type of shoe insole. In technical contexts regarding digital design, it is frequently spelled as one word ("palette") rather than two.
Example Sentences
"The artist selected colors from her digital palette to paint the sunset."noun
"She mixed many colors on her palette to create a vibrant painting."noun
"The chef adjusted his spice palette to enhance the flavor of the soup."noun
"After decades in business, he still maintains a narrow color palette for his designs."noun
The word palette comes directly from French and originally referred to a painter's board used for mixing colors. It entered English as a doublet of the older word pallet, which had previously meant a small bed or cushion.