Where does the word palace come from?

The Word palace found its way into the English vocabulary in the late 13th century.

It's derived from the Old French palais, which meant "an official residence of an emperor, king, archbishop, etc." This in turn came from the Middle Latin palacium and the Latin palatium, which meant the same thing.

Ultimately, though, the root of palace comes from the Palatine Hill (Mons Palatinus), a hill in ancient Rome where Augustus Caesar, and later Nero, built splendid residences.