pate
UK[peɪt]US[peɪt]
n
The top of a person's head.
n
The head, especially as the seat of the intellect.
Etymology
The word 'pate' entered English in the 14th century from the Old French 'pate', meaning head or skull. The Old French term is likely of Germanic origin, possibly related to the Middle Dutch 'pate' or the Frisian 'pate', both meaning the top of the head. The original sense was simply the top of the head, but it evolved in English to refer to the head more generally, often with a humorous or informal tone, and by extension, to the mind or intellect housed within it.
Analysis
This word is a simplex loanword from French. It cannot be meaningfully segmented into smaller morphemes within its current English spelling.
Examples
He rubbed his bald pate thoughtfully.
The idea never entered his thick pate.
The statue was missing, leaving only the pate and shoulders.