pallium noun. ['palɪǝm] Pl. -lia [-lɪǝ], -liums. ME.
[Latin: cf. PALL noun¹.]
1. Ecclesiastical. A woollen vestment conferred by the Pope on an archbishop in the Latin Church, consisting of a narrow circular band placed round the shoulders with a short lappet hanging from front and back. Also (transf.), the office or dignity of an archbishop. ME.

2. Antiquities. A man's large rectangular cloak, worn esp. by Greek philosophical and religious teachers. M16.

3. a. Zoology. The mantle of a mollusc or brachiopod. L19.
b. Anatomy & Zoology. The outer wall of the cerebrum, the cerebral cortex. Cf. NEOPALLIUM. L19.

4. Meteorology. A sheet of cloud, esp. nimbostratus, covering the whole sky. Now rare or obsolete. L19.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲