adjective / noun

palatine

PAL-uh-tyne/ˈpælətaɪn/

Exercising royal authority as a noble or official.

A count palatine exercises royal authority within his own territory.

A dentist uses a mirror to show the arched roof of an adult patient's open mouth, clinically accurate palate focal, editorial ink not textbook, no labels.

Etymology

The selected sense concerns the roof of the mouth, but the supplied history explains palatine meaning “pertaining to a palace.” It does not establish the ancestry of the anatomical adjective.

In context

RegisteredNurseRN4:56

next we have the palatine bones and if you think about the roof of your mouth you have what's known as the hard palate

Skull Bones Mnemonic (Cranial and Facial Bones) | Anatomy and Physiology

More examples

The palatine settles disputes that would otherwise reach the king.
A county palatine has its own courts and special privileges.
The palatines exercise powers usually reserved for the king.

Forms

palatine · palatines

Similar words

viceroy: Governs as a monarch's representative rather than holding palatine privileges.
regent: Exercises royal power temporarily when the monarch cannot rule.