Pates

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A specific cut of meat, often referring to the head or skull, traditionally associated with culinary dishes
2. A term used to indicate the part of an animal, usually the face or the uppermost section, that can be prepared for consumption
3. Referring to the edible portions of the head, especially in the context of gourmet cooking and delicacies

Etymology: The head sense of "pate" may be a shortened form of Old French "patene" or Medieval Latin "patena", both from Latin "patina", meaning a pan or dish, so the skull may once have been imagined as a bowl. The origin is uncertain, though, and another suggestion links it to Old Frisian "pote", meaning skull. "Pates" is simply the plural, used for more than one head. The food sense has a different history. It comes from French "pâte", meaning paste. That same root gives English "paste" and "pasta", making them doublets, which are separate English words descended from one source by different routes.

Synonyms: heads, skulls, brains