​PALATE (Lat. palatum, possibly from the root of pascere, to feed), the roof of the mouth in man and vertebrate animals. The palate is divided into two parts, the anterior bony “hard palate” (see Mouth), and the posterior fleshy “soft palate” (see Pharynx). For the malformation consisting in a longitudinal fissure in the roof of the mouth, see Cleft Palate.