name
Common
Palestine
PA-luh-styn
Palestine (name) means the State of Palestine, a country in the Middle East comprising the West Bank and Gaza Strip, home to the Palestinian people. Example: “Palestine has observer status at the United Nations.”
name
1
The State of Palestine, a country in the Middle East comprising the West Bank and Gaza Strip, home to the Palestinian people.
"Jews and Israel are not synonymous; nor is support for Palestine synonymous with anti-Semitism; nor is questioning the orthodoxy of the Republican party, which the majority of us do with relish, an insult to Jewry."
— Talia Levin, When Non-Jews Wield Anti-Semitism as Political Shield (2019)
"Palestine has observer status at the United Nations."
2
The wider historical and geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.
"Historians describe Palestine as a crossroads of ancient trade routes."
noun
1
A member of the ancient Philistine people, in older or literary usage.
How to use Palestine
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA country and historic region in the Middle East.
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Word forms
- Plural
- Palestines
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_____ has observer status at the United Nations.
Etymology
From Latin Palaestina, via Greek, ultimately from Hebrew p'leshet ("land of the Philistines").
Rhymes for Palestine
See all rhymes for Palestine →Frequently asked questions
What does “Palestine” mean?
The word “Palestine” means the State of Palestine, a country in the Middle East comprising the West Bank and Gaza Strip, home to the Palestinian people. In plain terms, a country and historic region in the Middle East.
How do you pronounce “Palestine”?
“Palestine” is pronounced PA-luh-styn (/ˈpæləˌstaɪn/ in IPA).
How do you use “Palestine” in a sentence?
Here is “Palestine” used in a sentence: “Palestine has observer status at the United Nations.”
What part of speech is “Palestine”?
Depending on how it is used, “Palestine” can be a name and a noun.
Where does the word “Palestine” come from?
The word “Palestine” comes from Latin. From Latin Palaestina, via Greek, ultimately from Hebrew p'leshet ("land of the Philistines").
Is “Palestine” a common word?
“Palestine” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “Palestine” have?
“Palestine” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the State of Palestine, a country in the Middle East comprising the West Bank and Gaza Strip, home to the Palestinian people.
What is the difference between Palestine and the Palestinian territories?
The State of Palestine comprises the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which together are commonly referred to as the Palestinian territories. The two terms therefore describe largely the same areas from different angles.
What is the difference between "Palestine" as a state and "Palestine" as a historical region?
"Palestine" can name the modern State of Palestine, made up of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. More broadly, it can also mean the wider historical and geographic region lying between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.
Where is Palestine located?
Palestine is in the Middle East, within the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. The modern State of Palestine comprises the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Is the name "Palestine" connected to the ancient Philistines?
In older or literary usage, "Palestine" could refer to a member of the ancient Philistine people. The name of the region is historically associated with the Philistines who lived along that coast in antiquity.
