paling

/'peiliɳ/

Thân thiện

A carpenter hammers a new paling into the wooden fence.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A fence constructed from upright pickets or stakes: A "paling" is a type of fence made by setting narrow, vertical wooden or metal stakes (pickets) close together or with small gaps between them.
   • A picket or stake used in such a fence: The word can also refer to a single one of these vertical stakes or pickets.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The old garden was surrounded by a white wooden paling.
  • He replaced a broken paling in the fence after the storm.

Advanced Usage

• "beyond the pale": This idiom, while related to the concept of a boundary (a "pale" historically referred to a fenced area or jurisdiction), is an advanced, fixed expression. It means outside the bounds of acceptable behavior or society.
  • His comments were considered so offensive that they were beyond the pale.

Variants and Related Words

• Pale (noun): A stake or pointed piece of wood used in a fence; historically, also a district or territory within set bounds.
• Picket (noun): A pointed stake or post, often used in a fence (paling) or by demonstrators.
• Palisade (noun): A fence of pointed stakes, similar to a paling but often implying a larger, stronger, or more defensive structure.

Synonyms

• Fence: A general term for a barrier enclosing an area.
• Picket fence: A specific type of fence made of pickets, essentially synonymous with a paling.
• Stockade: A barrier formed from upright wooden posts, typically for defense.

Related Phrases

• "paling fence": A phrase that explicitly describes the type of fence, though "paling" alone is sufficient.
  • They built a new paling fence around the property.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a fence made of upright pickets

Từ đồng nghĩa

• picket fence