Originally, the word “pale”, from the Latin palus, stake, meant just that, a stake to be driven into the ground.
It had an especial meaning, also, a stake to be driven into the ground along with others, so as to form a fence.
From the latter it came to mean a definite limit or boundary, and this was further extended so as to signify a territory outside the area of, but under the control of a nation.
Thus the English pale once denoted an area in France on either side of Calais which, until 1558, was under English jurisdiction.
Most notably, however, the English pale was that portion of Ireland, the present counties of Dublin, Kildare, Louth, and Meath, which was under English domination from the twelfth century until the subjugation of the entire island in the reign of Elizabeth.
The name pale was not applied to it, however, until the fourteenth century.
The adjective “pale,” of whitish appearance, is from Latin pallidus, pallid.
Related Posts
-
Why Did the British Invent India Pale Ale and How Do the Hops In India Pale Ale Help Preserve the Beer?
Hops contain a group of compounds called humulones or alpha-acids, that are very insoluble in water, but which undergo a chemical rearrangement during the wort boiling to form an isomeric group of compounds…
-
What does the phrase “beyond the pale” mean and Where does it come from?
We use the expression "beyond the pale" now as if it had the same meaning as "on the wrong side of the tracks"; that is, socially unfit. That is an acquired sense. "Pale"…
-
What Does the Expression “Beyond the Pale” Mean and Where Did the Phrase Come From?
The expression dates back to the English Crown's first efforts to control the Irish by outlawing their language and customs. But the unruly Irish were just that, and by the fifteenth century the…
-
What Is “India Pale Ale”, How Did the Hoppy Beer Get its Name, and Who Invented IPA Beer?
India pale ale dates from the late eighteenth century and was developed by the Hodgson's Company. It was created to solve the problem of getting fresh-tasting beer to soldiers and sailors in India…
-
Where does the expression “Dog Latin” come from and What does Dog Latin mean?
Properly, "Dog Latin" is just very bad Latin, a mongrel Latin, whence the name, composed of a mixture of Latin and English. But in our own childhood, what we called dog Latin was…
-
What Is the Difference Between Latin America and South America and How Many People Live In Latin America?
South America is not the same as Latin America. Latin America refers more to culture than geography. Latin America usually means South America as well as Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, which…
