What does palmyra mean?
Palmyra has two notable associations. In botany, it denotes a palm belonging to the genus Palmyra, whose members are native to Africa and Asia and have distinctive fan-shaped leaves. The name is also used for an ancient city in central Syria, now known chiefly for its archaeological remains. Founded as a trading settlement, Palmyra grew wealthy through caravan routes connecting the Mediterranean with Mesopotamia and became the capital of the Palmyrene Empire under Queen Zenobia. Its temples, colonnaded streets, tombs, and other monuments preserve an unusually vivid picture of a city shaped by trade and by the meeting of Roman, Persian, and local traditions. The modern use of the name therefore ranges from an ordinary botanical designation to one of the ancient world's most recognizable place names.
nounIn botany, a palm belonging to the genus Palmyra, a group of African and Asian palms. As a proper noun, Palmyra is an ancient city and archaeological site in present-day Syria, famous for its monumental ruins and for having been the capital of the Palmyrene Empire.
- A palm belonging to the botanical genus Palmyra.
- An ancient city and archaeological site in central Syria, capital of the Palmyrene Empire.
"The palmyra's fan-shaped leaves cast a broad circle of shade across the courtyard."
"A young palmyra survived the transplant and produced its first fan-shaped leaves the following spring."
"Scholars have studied the inscriptions and architecture of Roman Palmyra for centuries."
The lowercase plural refers to multiple palms of the genus. The genus name itself is normally left unchanged when used taxonomically.
"Several mature palmyras shade the entrance to the botanical garden."
Palmyra was once the glittering desert capital of Queen Zenobia; today, its surviving colonnades and towers preserve the atmosphere of a city that once rivaled Rome.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does palmyra come from?
The ancient city was called Tadmor in a Semitic language, and that name survives in Arabic as Tadmur and in Hebrew as Tadmōr. Greek and Latin writers used the form Palmyra, from which Palmyrene and related forms developed. The modern botanical genus Palmyra was named for the ancient city, linking the palms with a place historically situated at the center of desert trade and travel.
Related word forms
How palmyra is actually used
The botanical sense is normally lowercase; the ancient city is a proper noun and is therefore capitalized. The city is commonly associated with Queen Zenobia, caravan trade across the Syrian Desert, and exceptionally preserved Roman-era ruins.