Palestine

Meaning

1. A British colonial entity administering approximately the lands mentioned in definition 1.
2. The Biblical Land of Israel, roughly corresponding to the northern part of modern-day Israel proper, the West Bank, and northwest Jordan.
3. A Philistine.
4. Philistia, a region in the Levant inhabited by the ancient Philistines.
5. The region in Western Asia in the Middle East between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.
6. A country in Western Asia, in the Middle East; the State of Palestine; the homeland of the Palestinian people.
7. The West Bank and Gaza Strip.
8. Any of four Ancient Roman and Byzantine provinces in the eastern Mediterranean: Syria Palaestina, Palaestina Prima, Palaestina Secunda and Palaestina Salutaris.
9. The British League of Nations Mandate for Palestine, of which this region was a part (the remainder being Transjordan, which covered approximately the lands of the modern Kingdom (originally Emirate) of Jordan).

Etymology / origin

From Middle English Palestyne, from Old English Palestina, from Latin Palaestīna (“Roman province of Palestine”), from Ancient Greek Παλαιστίνη (Palaistínē, “Philistia and the surrounding region”), from Hebrew פְּלֶשֶׁת (p'léshet, “Philistia, land of the Philistines”). The term P-l-s-t or P-r-s-t, found in five Ancient Egyptian inscriptions (beginning with one at Medinet Habu from circa 1170 BCE and ending with Padiiset's Statue inscription from circa 900-850 BCE) as the name of a people near Egypt, is traditionally taken to be cognate. Seven Assyrian inscriptions contain the word "Palas(h)tu" or "Pilistu", which is usually also taken to be cognate.

Sources

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