1. Cloak or mantle worn by men in ancient Rome
   "The senator draped his pallium over his shoulders before entering the forum"
    
2. (Roman Catholic Church) vestment consisting of a band encircling the shoulders with two lappets hanging in front and back
   "The archbishop wore the pallium as a symbol of his authority"
    
3. (zoology) a protective layer of epidermis in mollusks or brachiopods that secretes a substance forming the shell
   "The pallium of the oyster produces nacre, forming the pearl";
   - mantle
    
4. The layer of unmyelinated neurons (the grey matter) forming the cortex of the cerebrum
   "The pallium is responsible for higher-order thinking and processing sensory information";
   - cerebral cortex, cerebral mantle, cortex

Derived forms: palliums, pallia

Type of: cloak, cuticle, epidermis, neural structure, vestment

Part of: cerebrum

Encyclopedia: Pallium