prairie

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See also: Prairie

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French prairie.

Pronunciation

Noun

prairie (plural prairies)

  1. An extensive area of relatively flat grassland with few, if any, trees, especially in North America.
    • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., , →OCLC:
      It was not far from the house; but the ground sank into a depression there, and the ridge of it behind shut out everything except just the roof of the tallest hayrick. As one sat on the sward behind the elm, with the back turned on the rick and nothing in front but the tall elms and the oaks in the other hedge, it was quite easy to fancy it the verge of the prairie with the backwoods close by.

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Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English prairie, from French prairie, from Middle French prairie, from Old French praerie, from Latin pratum. Re-borrowed from English after Middle Dutch praierie (also from Middle French prairie) fell out of use. Related to prieel.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈprɛː.ri/, /ˈprɛ.ri/
  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: prai‧rie

Noun

prairie f (plural prairies)

  1. prairie
    • 1831, James Fenimore Cooper, De prairie, of Grazige woestijn van Noord-Amerika, vol. 1, tr. from English, A. & J. Honkoop (publ.), page 339.
      De slangen der Prairie zijn niet vergiftig, uitgezonderd eenige vergramde ratelslangen, welker ratel hen intusschen steeds aanmeldt, voor dat zij u eenig kwaad doen.
      The snakes of the prairie are not venomous, some angered rattlesnakes excepted, whose rattle in the meantime announces them each time, before they do any harm to you.

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French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French praerie, from Latin prātum (“meadow”) + -aria, -arium. See also pré and -erie. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term. in Old French inherited or borrowed from Latin.

Pronunciation

Noun

prairie f (plural prairies)

  1. meadow, grassland, pasture, prairie

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