Word.ws English Dictionary

pate

/peɪt/

pate noun: the head, particularly the top or crown. Also the alternative spelling of pâté.

Noun (1)

pate (plural pates)

  1. (archaic) The head, particularly the top or crown.
    • He had a shiny, bald pate.
    • For his vnhappynes ſhall come vpon his owne heade, ⁊ his wickednes ſhall fall vpon his owne pate.1535 October 14 (Gregorian calendar), Myles Coverdale, transl., Biblia: The Byble, […] (Coverdale Bible), [Cologne or Marburg]: [Eucharius Cervicornus and Johannes Soter?], →OCLC, Psalm vij:[16]...
  2. (archaic) Wit, cleverness, cognitive abilities.
    • I am reſolued, tis but a thee yeeres faſt:
      The minde ſhall banquet, though the body pine,
      Fat paunches haue leane pates: and daynty bits
      Make rich the ribbes, but banerout quite the wits.c. 1595–1596 (date written), W. Shakespere [i.e., William Shakespeare], A Pleasant Conceited Comedie Called, Loues Labors Lost. […] (First Quarto), London: […] W[illiam] W[hite] for Cut[h]bert Burby...
    • I thank thee for that ieſt; heer’s a garment for’t:
      Wit ſhall not goe vn-rewarded while I am King of this
      Country: Steale by line and leuell, is an excellent paſſe
      of pate: there’s another garment for’t.1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published...

Noun (2)

IPA/ˈpæt.eɪ/

pate (plural pates)

  1. The interior body, or non-rind portion of cheese, described by its texture, density, and color.

Proper noun capitalized: Pate

Pate

  1. An island of Kenya.
  2. A surname.

Also used as

pate is also the alternative spelling of pâté.

Forms of pate

pluralpates

Origin of pate

From Middle English pate, of uncertain origin. Perhaps a shortened form of Old French patene or Medieval Latin patena, both from Latin patina (“pan, dish”). Alternatively, perhaps akin to Old Frisian pote (“skull”).

Attested since circa 1700, from French pâté, from Old French paste, pastée. Doublet of pâté and patty.

Words formed from pate

Phrases with pate

Words that rhyme with pate

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about pate

What does pate mean?
Pate means the head, particularly the top or crown.
What part of speech is pate?
Pate can be a noun or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce pate?
Pate is pronounced /peɪt/.
What is the plural of pate?
The plural of pate is pates.

Words near pate in the dictionary

  1. patchwriting
  2. patchy
  3. patd.
  4. patdown
  5. patdowns
  6. pate
  7. pate feuilletee
  8. pateamine
  9. pated
  10. patefaction
  11. patefactions

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: pate (page history and authors); Pate (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pate.wav.

Cite this entry: “pate.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/pate. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.