Palmyra

American  

[pal-mahy-ruh] / pælˈmaɪ rə /

noun

1. an ancient city in central Syria, NE of Damascus: reputedly built by Solomon.

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Palmyra ¹ British  

/ pælˈmaɪrə /

noun

1. Biblical name: Tadmor.  an ancient city in central Syria: said to have been built by Solomon

2. an island in the central Pacific, in the Line Islands: under US administration

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palmyra ² British  

/ pælˈmaɪrə /

noun

1. a tall tropical Asian palm, Borassus flabellifer, with large fan-shaped leaves used for thatching and weaving; grown also for its edible seedlings

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Etymology

Origin of palmyra

C17: from Portuguese palmeira palm tree (see _palm ²); perhaps influenced by _Palmyra , city in Syria

Example Sentences

Washington blamed the attack on a lone IS gunman in Syria's Palmyra.

From Barron's • Dec. 31, 2025

The Dec. 13 attack took place at a fortified facility of the Internal Security Command, Syria’s main domestic security force, near Palmyra.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Leo Brent Bozell IV, 44, of Palmyra, Pennsylvania, was one of the first rioters to enter the Capitol and among the first to reach the Senate floor during the Jan. 6, 2021, siege.

From Seattle Times • May 17, 2024

Captain Yager’s remains were recovered in Riverside County, Calif., and he was buried in Palmyra, Mo.

From New York Times • Apr. 21, 2024

My father wanted to visit the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York—the forest where, according to Joseph Smith, God had appeared and commanded him to found the true church.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover