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Definition of palestine

palestine

/ˈpæl.əˌstaɪn/
Pal · es · tine
Adjective:Palestinian
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palestine Lexical Profile

• noun

1

A de jure sovereign state in Western Asia, officially recognized by the United Nations as a non-member observer state, comprising the territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

2

A historical geographic region in Western Asia situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, encompassing parts of modern-day Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and neighboring areas.

Example

"Throughout history, Palestine has been a prominent crossroads for religion, culture, and trade in the Middle East."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for palestine

Word Nuance & Usage

The term Palestine is heavily context-dependent, referring either to the broad historical geographic region or to the modern State of Palestine, and its usage is deeply intertwined with the geopolitical sensitivities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

• Nearby Words

paleontologist
paleontology
palermo
palestine
palestinian
palestinian viper
palette

Word Origin & Etymology

Derived from Latin 'Palaestina' and Ancient Greek 'Palaistinē', which originally referred to the coastal land of the Philistines (Philistia) in the 12th century BCE.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Palestine. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/palestine
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