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palace

/ˈpælɪs/ noun

In Latin: rēgia, palātium Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about palace at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. A large and stately mansion.
  2. The governing group of a kingdom.
    the palace issued an order binding on all subjects
  3. A large ornate exhibition hall.

Origin

From Middle English paleys, from Old French palais, which comes from Latin palātium, from Palātium, in reference to the Palatine (Palatine Hill), one of the seven hills of Rome, where the aristocracy of the Roman Republic—and later, Roman emperors—built large, splendid residences. The name is ultimately either from Etruscan, the same source as Pales (“Pales, the Italic goddess of shepherds, flocks and livestock”), or Latin palus (“stake; enclosure”). Doublet of palazzo and Pfalz.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)