palace

Everyday

1. A very large, grand house where a king, queen, president or bishop lives. tree →
2. A big, splendid building for public fun: a picture palace, an ice palace. tree →
3. (informal) Any house that is very fine: «Your new house is a palace!» tree →

In the lessons

In history and stories palaces are where kings and queens live, with throne rooms and guards. In everyday life children visit palaces like Buckingham Palace. «The Palace» can mean the royal family's office in news. Phrases: Buckingham Palace, royal palace.

Examples

• The queen lived in a palace with hundreds of rooms. tree →
• We watched the guards change outside Buckingham Palace. tree →
• The princess ran through the palace gardens. tree →
• The palace has 775 rooms. tree →
• Their new house is a palace compared to our flat. tree →
• The Palace said the king was well. tree →
• He reached the palace at sunrise. tree →

Note

Countable. Adjective: palatial (like a palace). Capital letter in names: Buckingham Palace. Not the same as «palette» (painter's board) or «palate» (roof of the mouth).

In Jewish tradition

In Sefer Yetzirah the "Palace of Holiness" is the center of the seven directions, holding up all things. In the Psalms and Prophets a palace is a king's grand house or a fortified city's great building, and Jerusalem's palaces stand for the city's safety.

Interpretation. Tradition reads the Palace of Holiness as the holy center of the world, from which the six directions around it are sustained. The prayer for peace in Jerusalem's palaces and God made known in them is read as God's protection of the city.

Examples

• These Seven Double Letters point out seven localities; Above, Below, East, West, North, South, and the Palace of Holiness in the midst of them sustaining all things. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →
• These Seven Double Letters point out seven localities ; Above, Below, East, West, North, South, and the Palace of HoHness in the midst of them sus- taining all things. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →
• Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. (Writings PSA.122.7, JPS 1917) tree →
• God in her palaces hath made Himself known for a stronghold. (Writings PSA.48.4, JPS 1917) tree →
• The gates of the rivers are opened, and the palace is dissolved. (Prophets NAM.2.7, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Countable. Adjective: palatial (like a palace). Capital letter in names: Buckingham Palace. Not the same as «palette» (painter's board) or «palate» (roof of the mouth).