pali
noun
(in Hawaii) a steep slope or cliff.
pali
1 American
[pah-lee]
/ ˈpɑ li /
noun
Pali
2
American
[pah-lee]
/ ˈpɑ li /
noun
Pali
British
/ ˈpɑːlɪ /
noun
Etymology
Origin of pali1
From Hawaiian
Origin of Pali2
1685–95; short for Sanskrit pāli-bhāsa language of the canonical texts, equivalent to pāli line, row, canon + bhāsa language
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A red British passport was a prized possession for those who had been in the UK long enough to own one alongside the Nigerian document, known as a green pali.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 24, 2019
Ho’omaluhia Botanic Garden, at the foot of the pali, is richly replanted in native species.
From New York Times ● Sep. 2, 2011
Rows of pali, or posts, painted with the colours of the owner, serve as a dock for waiting gondolas.
From Cathedral Cities of Italy by William Wiehe Collins
When they had shouted, Makalei fell down at the foot of the pali near Ka-wai-nui, and lies there to this day.
From Legends of Gods and Ghosts (Hawaiian Mythology) Collected and Translated from the Hawaiian by W. D. (William Drake) Westervelt
The pali, the precipice, stands for any difficulty or obstacle of magnitude.
From Unwritten Literature of Hawaii The Sacred Songs of the Hula by Nathaniel Bright Emerson
In January, Blanck got a lifeline: a $50,000 grant from Build Back Pali, a nonprofit started by three teenage boys — including a former student — to help small businesses return to the community.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
Likely composed by the earliest Buddhist nuns in a variety of Indian languages between 600 and 300 B.C., the verses were later anthologized in Pali, the scriptural language of Theravada Buddhism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
The 2025 Palisades fire destroyed multiple buildings on Pali High’s campus and deposited soot and ash in others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2026
Or the kids of nearby Pali High, who pushed their way through the COVID-19 pandemic only to have their school burn in the blaze.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
It was funny to think of Henry, with his little round glasses and his books in Pali, breaking Spike Romney’s collarbone.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
