Etymologically
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palace

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈpæl.ɪs/, /ˈpæl.əs/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English palais, borrowed from Old French paleis, palais and directly from Medieval Latin palacium,[2][3][4] from Latin palātium, from Palātium, the Palatine Hill in Rome,[2][3][5] where the house of Augustus stood and later Nero's splendid residence.[2][3][6] The name of the hill is of uncertain origin: perhaps from pālus “stake”, perhaps Etruscan, while de Vaan connects it with palātum “palate, vault”.[2] It is related to palatial, palatine and paladin.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The official residence of an emperor, king or archbishop: about 1225 in Barnhart, the early 13th century in Etymonline, about 1290 in the OED.[3][2][7]

Semantic evolution

The general sense, a splendid dwelling, is by about 1300 (1387 in the OED).[2][7] The Latin usage had already been transferred from the Palatine to other imperial and royal residences.[3][6] A large building for entertainment, such as a picture palace, is from 1834.[7][4] By metonymy the monarch or royal household, as in the Palace said, is from 1962.[7] The spelling palace is from about 1475.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1225 – a royal residence.[3]
  • c. 1300 – a splendid dwelling.[2]
  • c. 1475 – the spelling palace.[3]
  • 1834 – a place of entertainment.[7]
  • 1962 – the royal household.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The official home of a king, queen or other ruler.
  2. The official home of a bishop or archbishop.
  3. A large and splendid house.
  4. A large building for entertainment or exhibitions.
  5. The people who run a royal household.

Word family

  • palaced
  • palacelike
  • palaceward
  • palatial
  • Lambeth Palace
  • Crystal Palace
  • palace revolution
  • mayor of the palace
  • palatine
  • paladin
  • palazzo

Usage notes

In Devon and Cornwall dialect a palace was a cellar for storing pilchards;[8] MWU derives this word from Cornish palas “to dig”.[5]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)