palaces

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of palace.

   Several grand palaces line the avenue leading to the cathedral.

   The dynasty built lavish palaces across its conquered territories.

   Note

   One spelling covers every noun meaning of palace: the official seats of monarchs and heads of state, lavishly ornate private houses, and large public halls built for entertainment or exhibitions. The plural adds only -s, since the singular already ends in e. The same letters also spell the verb form meaning 'decorates'. As a noun, palaces takes articles and adjectives in front of it, as in the grand palaces or their palaces.

2. 2
   verbarchaic

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of palace. Archaic.

   Note

   An archaic verb meaning to decorate or adorn, so a modern reader meets it mostly in deliberately ornate or old-fashioned prose. It looks exactly like the plural noun, but it follows a singular subject and takes an object: the duke palaces his court. For everyday writing, decorates or adorns says the same thing without the period flavor.

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