Palestine

American  

[pal-uh-stahyn, pal-uh-steen] / ˈpæl əˌstaɪn, ˈpæl əˌstin /

noun

1. Biblical Name Canaan. Also called Holy Land. an ancient country in southwest Asia, on the east coast of the Mediterranean.

2. a disputed region made up of parts of an ancient country in southwest Asia, especially the Gaza Strip and the West Bank: a British mandate from 1923 to 1948; divided between Israel, Jordan, and Egypt in 1948; Jordanian and Egyptian parts occupied by Israel in 1967, with limited Palestinian self-administration beginning in 1994.

3. a city in eastern Texas.

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Palestine British  

/ ˈpælɪˌstaɪn /

noun

1. Also called: the Holy Land, Canaan. the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea in which most of the biblical narrative is located

2. the province of the Roman Empire in this region

3. the former British mandatory territory created by the League of Nations in 1922 (but effective from 1920), and including all of the present territories of Israel and Jordan between whom it was partitioned by the UN in 1948

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Palestine Cultural  

1. Historic region on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, comprising parts of modern Israel, Jordan, and Egypt (see also Egypt).

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Known as the Holy Land, it is a place of pilgrimage for several religions, including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

Israel, the homeland of the Jews (see also Jews), was established in Palestine in 1948. The Palestine Liberation Organization, under Yasir Arafat, is committed to establishing a Palestinian state, which would include territory on the West Bank and Gaza Strip now partially occupied by Israel. (See Arab-Israeli conflict , intifada , Oslo Accord , Palestinian Authority .)

Etymology

Origin of Palestine

First recorded in 1540–60; from Latin Pal(a)estīna, Palaestīnē, from Greek Palaistī́nē; perhaps through Aramaic pəlishtāʾin (plural) “Philistines,” from Hebrew pĕlishtīm; see philistine ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Palestine

Officers on Saturday made arrests into the evening, taking people to police vans for transfer, to the applause of many protesters, some of whom chanted: "Free, free Palestine."

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

Many of those arrested, including senior citizens and Holocaust survivors, have displayed signs at rallies reading: "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action."

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026

Palestine Action describes itself as a "direct action movement" that uses "disruptive tactics".

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

In Berlin, a similar march organised by the group United for Palestine drew around 3,500 people as it set off from a square between the chancellery and parliament, said police.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

Having seen the smoke and tasted the sugared air on his tongue, he delayed his journey to Palestine to detour back toward Vienna.

From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison

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