1. A vestment worn by the Pope and certain archbishops in the Roman Catholic Church, consisting of a white woolen band worn over the shoulders.
Usage: religious; ecclesiastical
2. In ancient Rome, a cloak or mantle worn as an outer garment.
Usage: historical; archaic
3. In zoology, the outer layer of tissue that covers the internal organs of mollusks and other invertebrates.
Usage: biology; technical

Examples

• The Pope wore the pallium during the solemn religious ceremony.
• The archbishop received the pallium as a symbol of his authority.
• Roman senators often draped a pallium over their togas.
• The mollusk's pallium secretes the shell.
• The pallium of the clam protects its soft body.