The word pale comes to us from the Latin word palus meaning "stake" or "marker," the type that would be driven into the ground to mark a boundary. The story of its evolution goes like this . . .

Historically speaking, a "pale" is a district marked off from the surrounding country by a different system of government and law or by definite boundaries. The best known of these districts was the "English Pale" in Ireland.

In the 12th century, Ireland found itself under British control. When the English first arrived in Ireland, they established themselves in the region around Dublin. This area was known as the "pale," that is, the border or the boundary. English authority existed only "within the pale," and the remainder of Ireland was governed by local kings and leaders of clans. Anything "beyond the pale" was outside of the zone of British jurisdiction.

Over time, the phrase took on the general sense of boundaries, and "beyond the pale" became an expression to denote any behavior considered outside the limits of what is considered decent.