Palau

name

Etymology: Borrowed from Palauan Belau (“Palau”), traditionally derived from aidebelau (“indirect replies”) in reference to the island's creation story, or from beluu (“village”), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *banua (“inhabited land, territory”).

1. A country consisting of around 340 islands in Micronesia, in Oceania. Official name: Republic of Palau. Capital: Ngerulmud.

   “Another society in which wealth per se was highly valued was Palau, but wealth belonging to descent units and not to individuals.[…] Palau society was divided into a large number of individually named, exogamous matriclans, and these were in turn subdivided into named matrilineages, each of which was a land-owning corporation and localized within a single community.”

   “The president of Palau declared Tuesday that his Pacific island nation will ban commercial fishing and become a marine sanctuary.[…] Remengesau said establishing “a 100 percent marine sanctuary” will enable Palau to preserve “a pristine environment” and promote snorkeling, scuba diving and ecotourism as an alternative way to grow its economy.”

noun

1. Alternative spelling of pilaf (“dish of browned rice etc.”).