Definition of "pallet" []

• A projection on a machine part, such as a pawl for controlling the motion of a ratchet wheel in a watch escapement, that engages the teeth of a ratchet wheel to convert reciprocating motion to rotary motion or vice versa. (noun)
• A wooden, shovellike potter's tool used for mixing and shaping clay. (noun)
• A metal tool used for printing on book bindings. (noun)
• A fine brush used for taking up and applying gold leaf. (noun)
• A portable platform used for storing or moving cargo or freight. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "What kind of bed does the protagonist sleep in - pallet, featherbed, mattress and springs, antigravity plate?"
• "Have a tiny sore on my upper pallet, is that a symptoms of swine flu?"
• "McCain already has: he and his wife adopted a girl with a cleft pallet from the country."