I was watching an Addams Family movie this morning and was struck by Pugsly’s declaration that “it was a palpable hit”. Hmmm, it sounded like palatable . . . and so a word confusion was born, lol.
Palpable is essentially something that can be felt. So, *snicker*, if you can feel the mold on the food with your mouth, it is definitely not palatable.
Palatable is pleasant (in food or drink) and satisfactory (via action).
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Palatable | Palpable |
|---|---|
Surf and Turf by Christopher Eden is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — A very palatable combination! |
Mist-draped Forest is in the public domain, via PxHere. — There is a palpable atmosphere in the forest. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adjective | Adjective |
[Of food or drink] Pleasant to taste
|
[Of a feeling or atmosphere] So intense as to seem almost tangible
Able to be touched or felt
|
| Examples: | |
| She found it a very palatable local red wine.
It was a device that made increased taxation more palatable. It seemed a palatable solution to the problem. The suggestion he made was palatable. They were flavorings designed to make the food more palatable. |
She felt a palpable sense of loss.
To talk of dawn raids in the circumstances is palpable nonsense. His fingers felt for the palpable bump at the bridge of his nose. “A hit! A very palpable hit!” (Shakespeare, act 5, scene 2). The tension between them is palpable. It’s definitely a palpable growth. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adverb: palatably Noun: palatability, palatableness |
Adjective: nonpalpable Noun: nonpalpability, palpability |
| History of the Word: | |
| First recorded in 1660–70 as palate + -able. | Late Middle English from the late Latin palpabilis, from the Latin palpare meaning feel, touch gently. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
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Resources for Palatable versus Palpable
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Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: palpable
The Free Dictionary: palpable, palatable
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. 1603. E-BOOKARAMA, 2022. <https://amzn.to/3UM81YX>. Ebook. The British Library, <https://www.bl.uk/treasures/shakespeare/playhamlet.html>, in its “Shakespeare Quartos” indicates a range of publication dates referring to the initial play (first quarto) in 1603 to the second quarto in 1604/5 to the third quarto in 1611 to the fourth quarto in 1622. The first folio appeared in 1623, the second in 1632, and the fifth in 1637.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Wine Tasting, Santa Barbara, California, by Chris Michaels is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr. Salmon Steaks is in the public domain, via RawPixel.
