Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

within the pale

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.06 in modern English

Syllables
with-in the -pale
IPA
24
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

Within the boundaries, either physical or metaphorical; especially within the limits of acceptable behavior.

Example Sentences

Etymology

The phrase within the pale, meaning to stay within the limits of law or decency, was in use by the mid-17th century. The phrase is a reference to the general sense of boundary, not to any of the particular places, such as the English pale in Ireland, which bore that name, or the Pale of Settlement, in Imperial Russia. Out of the many districts established by England (Cork, Dublin, Drogheda, Waterford, and Wexford), only a select few followed the laws established by England, hence "within the pale" and beyond the pale.

Questions

What does within the pale mean?
Within the boundaries, either physical or metaphorical; especially within the limits of acceptable behavior.
Where does within the pale come from?
The phrase within the pale, meaning to stay within the limits of law or decency, was in use by the mid-17th century. The phrase is a reference to the general sense of boundary, not to any of the particular places, such as the English pale in Ireland, which bore that name, or the Pale of Settlement, in Imperial Russia. Out of the many districts established by England (Cork, Dublin, Drogheda, Waterford, and Wexford), only a select few followed the laws established by England, hence "within the pale" and beyond the pale.

How to pronounce within the pale

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