palm

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun Any of numerous chiefly tropical evergreen trees, shrubs, or woody vines of the family Arecaceae (or Palmae), characteristically having an unbranched trunk with a crown of large pinnate or palmate leaves having conspicuous parallel venation.
• noun A leaf of a palm tree, regarded as an emblem of victory, success, or joy.
• noun A small metallic representation of a palm leaf added to a military decoration that has been awarded more than one time.
• noun The inner surface of the hand that extends from the wrist to the base of the fingers.
• noun The similar part of the forefoot of a quadruped.
• noun A unit of length equal to either the width or the length of the hand.
• noun The part of a glove or mitten that covers the palm of the hand.
• noun Nautical A metal shield worn by sailmakers over the palm of the hand and used to force a needle through heavy canvas.
• noun Nautical The blade of an oar or paddle.
• noun The flattened part of the antlers of certain animals, such as the moose.
• transitive verb To hold in the palm of the hand.
• transitive verb To touch or stroke with the palm of the hand.
• transitive verb To conceal in the palm of the hand, as in cheating at dice or cards or in a sleight-of-hand trick.
• transitive verb To pick up furtively.
• transitive verb Basketball To commit a violation by letting (the ball) rest momentarily in the palm of the hand while dribbling.
• idiom (an itchy palm) A strong desire for money, especially bribes.

from The Century Dictionary.

• To handle; manipulate.
• To conceal in the palm of the hand, in the manner of jugglers or cheaters.
• To impose by fraud: generally followed by upon before the person and off before the thing: as, to palm off trash upon the public.
• noun The flat of the hand; that part of the hand which extends from the wrist to the bases of the thumb and fingers on the side opposite the knuckles; more generally and technically, the palmar surface of the manus of any animal, as the sole of the fore foot of a clawed quadruped, as the cat or mouse, corresponding to the planta of the pes or foot.
• noun The hand; a hand.
• noun A lineal measure equal either to the breadth of the hand or to its length from the wrist to the tips of the fingers; a measure of length equal to 3 and in some instances 4 inches; among the Romans, a lineal measure equal to about 8½ inches, corresponding to the length of the hand.
• noun A part that covers the inner portion of the hand: as, the palm of a glove; specifically, an instrument used by sailmakers and seamen in sewing canvas, instead of a thimble, consisting of a piece of leather that goes round the hand, with a piece of iron sewed on it so as to rest in the palm.
• noun The broad (usually triangular) part of an anchor at the end of the arms.
• noun The flat or palmate part of a deer's horns when full-grown.
• noun An old game, a kind of hand-tennis, more fully called palm-play.
• noun A ball.
• noun A flat end formed on a tie-rod or strut, through which the rivets or bolts are passed to secure the piece to the rest of the structure.
• noun A tree or shrub of the order Palmæ.
• noun A branch, properly a leaf, of the palm-tree, anciently borne or worn as a symbol of victory or triumph; hence, superiority; victory; triumph; honor; prize.
• noun One of several other plants, popularly so called as resembling in some way the palm, or, especially, as substituted for it in church usage.
• noun See Macrozamia.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun (Anat.) The inner and somewhat concave part of the hand between the bases of the fingers and the wrist.
• noun A lineal measure equal either to the breadth of the hand or to its length from the wrist to the ends of the fingers; a hand; -- used in measuring a horse's height.
• noun (Sailmaking) A metallic disk, attached to a strap, and worn on the palm of the hand, -- used to push the needle through the canvas, in sewing sails, etc.
• noun (Zoöl.) The broad flattened part of an antler, as of a full-grown fallow deer; -- so called as resembling the palm of the hand with its protruding fingers.
• noun (Naut.) The flat inner face of an anchor fluke.
• noun [Slang] To bribe or tip.
• transitive verb obsolete To handle.
• transitive verb To manipulate with, or conceal in, the palm of the hand; to juggle.
• transitive verb To take (something small) stealthily, especially by concealing it in the palm of the hand.
• transitive verb To impose by fraud, as by sleight of hand; to put by unfair means; -- usually with on or upon. See also palm off.
• noun (Bot.) Any endogenous tree of the order Palmæ or Palmaceæ; a palm tree.
• noun A branch or leaf of the palm, anciently borne or worn as a symbol of victory or rejoicing.
• noun Any symbol or token of superiority, success, or triumph; also, victory; triumph; supremacy.
• noun (Bot.) a labiate herb from Asia (Molucella lævis), having a curious cup-shaped calyx.
• noun the terminal bud of a cabbage palm, used as food.