Meaning & History
From Greek παλαιστής (palaistes) meaning "wrestler" or the verb παλαιστέω (palaisteo) "to thrust away with the hand" (from παλαιστή (palaiste) "palm of the hand", a later form of παλαστή (palaste)). This is the name of two characters in Greek mythology, both associated with the god Hermes: a mortal lover of Hermes; and his daughter, the goddess of wrestling. In literature, this name belongs to a slave girl in the Onos (or the Ass) attributed to Lucian.