Palenca.
American: dialect of the R. Orinoco, allied to Tamanaque.
Pali.
Indic: an extinct dialect of Sanskrit, derived through Pracrit, forming the sacred language of the Buddhists; it has a peculiar alphabetic character of its own. Bali and Lanka-Bhasa (ancient Sinhalese) are derived from it, and it has very largely influenced modern Cinghalese. Dicty. by Thero and Subhuti, Colombo, 1865; and one now in progress by R. C. Childers; Kachcháyana’s “Grammar,” by Mason, London, 1870.
Palimpsest.
Palæographic: “written-over”; used of MSS. having a second inscription laid over a previous one.
⁂ A term signifying “twice-rubbed,” or “scratched,” and applied properly to parchments which, after having been written on, have been prepared for a fresh writing by an erasure of the original one. In the middle ages, when parchment came to be scarce and dear, many valuable MSS. were thus used, and a second worthless writing placed over one infinitely more precious. In some cases the original MS. has been recovered by careful examination, e. g., the text of Cicero’s treatise, “De Republica.” G. R.
Palla.
Sub-Turanian: tribe of Awalias in Nipal.
Palmyrene.