The Spanish word 'palenque' comes from Catalan 'palenc', meaning 'palisade' or 'enclosure'. The Catalan word was formed by combining 'pal' (meaning 'stick' or 'pole') with the noun-forming suffix '-enc'. Going further back, the Catalan 'pal' derives from Latin 'palus', which meant 'stake' or 'post'. This etymology reflects how a palenque was historically a fortified enclosure or palisade made from wooden stakes or posts driven into the ground.

A related simpler Spanish word is 'palo', which means 'stick' or 'pole'. Both 'palenque' and 'palo' share the Latin root 'palus' (stake, post). While 'palo' retained the basic meaning of a stick or pole, 'palenque' evolved to refer to an entire structure or enclosure made from such poles.

The English word 'pale' is etymologically related to 'palenque', as it also comes from Latin 'palus'. In English, 'pale' historically referred to a stake or post, and gave rise to terms like 'paling' (a fence made of stakes) and the phrase 'beyond the pale' (outside the boundaries). The word 'palisade' is another related English term that refers to a fence of wooden stakes used for defense, showing a similar semantic connection to 'palenque'.