What does palming mean?
Palming means hiding a small object in the palm of the hand so that others cannot see it. The word is especially associated with tricks involving playing cards, where a performer secretly retains or conceals a card. It can also mean to deceive someone by passing off something false, inferior, or unauthorized as genuine: for example, a dishonest seller might palm off a counterfeit product as the real thing. In this second sense, the expression is normally “palm off” rather than “palm.” Palming carries a connotation of secrecy and trickery, whether the activity is a harmless stage illusion or an attempt to deceive. Its history connects the modern sense directly to the hand itself: the word comes through Old French from Latin palma, meaning “palm of the hand” and also “hand.”
verbTo conceal something in the palm of the hand, especially a playing card or small object, so that it cannot be seen. In the phrase “palm off,” it means to pass something off as something more valuable, genuine, or acceptable than it really is.
- To conceal or hide an object in the palm of the hand.
- To pass off or deceive someone by misrepresenting something, especially in the phrase “palm off.”
"The magician palmed the card while the audience watched the other hand."
"The dealer palmed one of the cards and accused the player of cheating."
"The seller tried to palm off an imitation as an antique manuscript."
The word literally names the hiding place: Latin palma meant “palm of the hand,” the place where a card or small object can be concealed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does palming come from?
The verb “palm” comes through Old French palme from Latin palma, originally meaning “palm of the hand” or “hand.” The verb’s sense of concealing something in the hand developed from the body part used to hide it. The related meaning of deceiving or passing off is associated with the idea of something being slipped or fraudulently substituted into another person’s hands. Latin derivatives such as palmar, palpable, and palmate belong to the same root family.
Related word forms
How palming is actually used
“Palming” commonly describes a concealed object, particularly a card. When it means deception, it is usually used in the separable phrase “palm something off on someone” or “palm something off as something.”