palau

IPA/pəˈlaʊ/
KK[pˈælaʊ]IPA/pəˈlaʊ/

palau — noun

1. a small Pacific country popular with divers and tourists, often spoken about as

1.noun
Definition

a small Pacific country popular with divers and tourists, often spoken about as a holiday or working destination, made up of hundreds of tropical islands.

Example

Maya spent two weeks diving on the coral reefs around Palau last summer.

preposition pattern: around Palau

Lina swam with thousands of harmless jellyfish in a saltwater lake in Palau.

preposition pattern: in a [place] in Palau

Common collocations
  • fly to Palau
  • the people of Palau
  • the islands of Palau
  • visit Palau

Grammar Patterns

used as the name of a country

Usage Note

Always capitalised and used without 'the'. Subject is usually a person, group, or government acting in or visiting Palau; common prepositions are 'in', 'to', 'from', and 'around' Palau.

Common Mistakes

I went to the Palau last year.
I went to Palau last year.
country names like Palau take no article 'the'.
palau is a beautiful country.
Palau is a beautiful country.
proper nouns must be capitalised.

palau — geographical name

Word family

  • Palauan
    adjective
  • Palauan
    noun

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the people of Palau
  • the islands of Palau
  • the government of Palau
  • the president of Palau

Phrases

  • the Republic of Palau
  • fly to Palau
  • visit Palau

Prepositions

  • in Palau
  • to Palau
  • from Palau
  • around Palau

Etymology

PalauanSpanishEnglish

The English name 'Palau' comes from the local Palauan word 'Belau', which is thought to derive from a native word meaning 'village'. Spanish explorers in the 16th century recorded the islands under similar-sounding names, and English later borrowed the form 'Palau' through Spanish and German colonial usage. The country has been known by this name since gaining independence in 1994.