palenque

From Spanish Palenque, the name of a maroon settlement in Colombia, from palenque (“palisade”).

palenque (plural palenques)

1. (historical) A community of runaway slaves.
   • 2007 October 18, Simon Romero, “A Language, Not Quite Spanish, With African Echoes”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     Different from dozens of other palenques that were vanquished, this community has successfully fended off threats to its existence to this day.

Borrowed from Catalan palenc, from pal (“stake, pole”).

• IPA^(key): /paˈlenke/ [paˈlẽŋ.ke]
• Rhymes: -enke
• Syllabification: pa‧len‧que

palenque m (plural palenques)

1. palisade; fence

   Synonyms: valla, estacado, empalizada, cerca, cercado, estacada

2. stockade; arena

   Synonyms: coso, ruedo, plaza, arena, liza

3. cockfighting pit; cockpit

   Synonym: reñidero

4. (Rioplatense) A smooth, sturdy post fixed into the ground, used for tying animals.
5. (Costa Rica) A dwelling shared by several indigenous families.
6. (Cuba) A remote and hard‑to‑reach place where fugitive enslaved Africans sought refuge.
7. (Nicaragua) A roofed structure without walls, formerly used as indigenous housing and, by extension, a similar construction now used for social gatherings or festivities.
8. (Philippines) market; marketplace

   Synonym: mercado

• → Central Bikol: palengke
• → English: palenque
• → Tagalog: palengke
• → Yogad: palengke

• “palenque”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025