- a particular point in space.
- a portion of space available or designated for someone.
- the role played by or importance attached to someone or something in a particular context.
- Middle English: from Old French, from an alteration of Latin platea ‘open space’, from Greek plateia (hodos) ‘broad (way)’.
- to put in a particular position.
- to find a home for.
I think a lot about words and their meanings, in different languages and different contexts. One word I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking about throughout my life is place: spaces, contexts, communities, cultures, homes. Often in the context of: what places inspire me? where do I see my place in the world? where is my place? I’ve been searching for the answers to those questions all of my life. And a massive amount of thought went into the decision to move to California, and to Napa, to try to make this place mine, and it’s been for most of this strange year a place that has finally made me feel at home. So this week of fires has been psychologically a difficult one to take, as I’ve seen friends lose their houses, businesses, and minds. Continue reading