~ 1
■ adjective
1》 containing little colour or pigment; light in colour or shade.
↘(of a person's face) having little colour, typically as a result of shock, fear, or ill health.
2》 unimpressive or inferior: a ~ imitation.
■ verb
1》 become ~ in one's face.
2》 seem or become less important.
Derivatives
~ly adverb
~ness noun
palish adjective
Origin
ME: from OFr. ~ , from L. pallidus .
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~ 2
■ noun
1》 a wooden stake used with others to form a fence.
2》 a conceptual boundary: within the ~ of decency.
3》 (often the Pale ) archaic or historical an area within determined bounds or subject to a particular jurisdiction.
4》 Heraldry a broad vertical stripe down the middle of a shield.
Phrases
beyond the ~ outside the bounds of acceptable behaviour.
Word History
Pale entered Middle English from the Old French word pal , from Latin palus 'stake'. The idea of a stake forming part of a fence or boundary led to the development of the phrase beyond the ~ . The term Pale was applied to various English-controlled territories, in particular to the area of Ireland under English jurisdiction before the 16th century. The earliest reference (1547) to the Pale in Ireland as such draws the contrast between the English Pale and the ‘wyld Irysh’: the area beyond the ~ would have been regarded as dangerous and uncivilized by the English.