DictionaryAI

Palestine

USPAL-uh-styn/ˈpæləˌstaɪn/

21 meanings of Palestine

Practice

  1. 1
    proper noun
    A country in Western Asia, officially the State of Palestine, made up of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip; it is widely but not universally recognized as a state.

    The United Nations granted Palestine non-member observer state status in 2012.

    Citizens of Palestine carry travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority.

    Note

    In everyday use the name can also stand for the state's cause and people, as in support for Palestine.

  2. 2
    proper noun
    The historical and geographical region on the eastern Mediterranean, roughly between the sea and the Jordan River and sometimes extending east of it, traditionally identified with the biblical Holy Land.

    Geographers describe Palestine as the land bridge connecting Africa and Asia.

    Numerous empires fought to control Palestine because of its strategic location.

    UsageThe name a writer chooses for this land can signal a political stance, so choose it deliberately.

    Note

    The geographic use is also historical, and it is the one most likely to be politically charged. Greg Afinogenov, writing in Jewish Currents in 2019, uses it when recounting early twentieth-century Zionist hopes for a state of their own.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Greg Afinogenov wrote the relevant Jewish Currents article in 2019. jewishcurrents.org
    • Afinogenov uses Palestine geographically while discussing early twentieth-century Zionist hopes for a state and an alternative involving communes. jewishcurrents.org
  3. 3
    proper nounhistorical
    The territory west of the Jordan River that Britain governed under a League of Nations mandate from 1920 to 1948, now Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza; at first the mandate also included Transjordan.

    British forces established control over Palestine after the collapse of Ottoman rule.

    Immigration policy in Palestine was set by the British colonial administration.

    UsageTo avoid confusion with the modern state, a phrase such as British-ruled Palestine or Mandatory Palestine makes the period clear.

    Note

    A historian's term for a colonial unit: the territory Britain administered west of the Jordan, covering what is now Israel as well as the West Bank and Gaza. The original mandate also took in Transjordan, which Britain soon ran as a separate emirate.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

    • Palestine was a British colonial administrative entity. en.wiktionary.org
    • Britain administered Palestine west of the Jordan separately from Transjordan. en.wikipedia.org
    • The territory covered present-day Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. awm.gov.au
    • The approved Mandate for Palestine also covered Transjordan. en.wikipedia.org
    • Transjordan was administered as a separate emirate under British supervision. en.wikipedia.org

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Origins

Meanings 1–5

The name reached Middle English as Palestyne, through Old English Palestina and Latin Palaestīna (the Roman province of Palestine). Latin took it from Ancient Greek Παλαιστίνη (Palaistínē, "Philistia and the surrounding region"), which probably came, by an uncertain route, from Hebrew פְּלֶשֶׁת (p'léshet, "Philistia, land of the Philistines"). A people-name written P-l-s-t or P-r-s-t appears in five Ancient Egyptian inscriptions (from about 1170 BCE to around 900–850 BCE), and "Palas(h)tu" or "Pilistu" appears in seven Assyrian inscriptions; both are traditionally taken to be cognate.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 10 facts

  • The English name descends through Middle English Palestyne and Old English Palestina from Latin Palaestīna. en.wiktionary.org
  • Latin Palaestīna named a Roman province. en.wiktionary.org
  • Latin borrowed the name from Ancient Greek Παλαιστίνη. en.wiktionary.org
  • Greek Palaistínē designated Philistia and a wider surrounding region. en.wiktionary.org
  • Hebrew פְּלֶשֶׁת means Philistia, the land of the Philistines. en.wiktionary.org
  • The Egyptian people-name, conventionally transcribed P-l-s-t or P-r-s-t, occurs in five Egyptian sources. en.wikipedia.org
  • The Egyptian attestations begin around 1170 BCE. en.wiktionary.org
  • The last Egyptian attestation dates to approximately 900–850 BCE. art.thewalters.org
  • Seven Assyrian inscriptions contain Palas(h)tu or Pilistu. en.wiktionary.org
  • The Egyptian and Assyrian forms are traditionally regarded as cognate with the biblical Philistine name. en.wikipedia.org
Meaning 6

Ancient Greek Παλαιστινὸς (Palaistinòs) passed into Latin as Palaestinus, from which English took the word. Its Middle French cognates were palestin and Palestin.