paleta

Paleta is a Spanish term with several distinct meanings. Depending on the context, it can refer to a frozen dessert on a stick (the ice pop), a painter’s palette for mixing colors, or a paddle-like tool used in cooking and crafts. The exact sense varies by region and field.

As a frozen dessert, paletas are especially popular in Mexico and other Latin American countries. They are typically fruit-based, sometimes combined with milk or cream, and are sold by street vendors in markets and neighborhoods. Flavors span from mango, tamarind, and coconut to strawberry and chocolate, often featuring fresh fruit pieces or other textured fillings.

In art and design, paleta denotes the palette used to arrange and blend pigments. A palette can be a physical tray made of wood, metal, or plastic, or, in digital contexts, a color palette consisting of swatches used to select colors in painting, graphic design, and user interfaces.

As a tool, paleta can mean a paddle or spreading spatula in culinary and craft settings. In some regions, it also refers to a handheld paddle used in traditional ball games or to a broad flat utensil used to spread substances such as plaster or dough.

Etymology: the word derives from paleta, a diminutive of pala meaning “spade,” “paddle,” or “shovel,” itself from Latin pala. Regional usage varies, and the term may emphasize different aspects of a flat or paddle-like form depending on context.