1. An open-sided dwelling with a thatched roof made of dried palm leaves.
2. A structure, such as a bar or restaurant in a tropical resort, that is open-sided and thatched with palm leaves.

[Perhaps from American Spanish, a kind of palm tree.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.