pallium

[pal-ee-uh m] /ˈpæl i əm/
noun, plural pallia
[pal-ee-uh] /ˈpæl i ə/ (Show IPA), palliums.
1.
a large, rectangular mantle worn by men in ancient Greece and Rome.
2.
Ecclesiastical.
  1. a woolen vestment worn by the pope and conferred by him on archbishops, consisting, in its present form, of a narrow ringlike band that rests on the shoulders, with two dependent bands or lappets, one in front and one behind.
  2. an altar cloth; a pall.
3.
Anatomy. the entire cortex of the cerebrum.
4.
Zoology. a mantle, as of a mollusk or bird.
Origin
before 1150; Old English < Latin (not attested in ME); see pall1
Examples from the web for pallium
  • pallium, or pall, a circular band of fabric worn around the neck over the chasuble.
  • The pallium is a layer of gray matter that lies on the surface of the forebrain.
  • The pallium is involved in multiple functions, including olfaction and spatial memory.
British Dictionary definitions for pallium

pallium

/ˈpælɪəm/
noun (pl) -lia (-lɪə), -liums
1.
a garment worn by men in ancient Greece or Rome, made by draping a large rectangular cloth about the body
2.
(mainly RC Church) a woollen vestment consisting of a band encircling the shoulders with two lappets hanging from it front and back: worn by the pope, all archbishops, and (as a mark of special honour) some bishops
3.
(anatomy) Also called mantle. the cerebral cortex and contiguous white matter
4.
(zoology) another name for mantle (sense 5)
Word Origin
C16: from Latin: cloak; related to Latin palla mantle
pallium in Medicine

pallium pal·li·um (pāl'ē-əm)
n. pl. pal·li·ums or pal·li·a (-lē-ə)
The mantle of gray matter with the underlying white substance. Also called brain mantle, mantle.

Encyclopedia Article for pallium

liturgical vestment worn over the chasuble by the pope, archbishops, and some bishops in the Roman Catholic church. It is bestowed by the pope on archbishops and bishops having metropolitan jurisdiction as a symbol of their participation in papal authority. It is made of a circular strip of white lamb's wool about two inches wide and is placed over the shoulders. Two vertical bands, extending from the circular strip in the front and back, give the pallium a Y-shaped appearance. Six crosses, one each on the chest and back and on each shoulder and band, adorn the vestment.

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