Provençal

[ proh-vuhn-sahl, prov-uhn-; French praw-vahn-sal ]

adjective
  1. of or relating to Provence, its people, or their language.

noun
  1. a native or inhabitant of Provence.

  2. Also called Occitan. a Romance language once widely spoken in southern France, still in use in some rural areas. Abbreviations: Pr, Pr., Prov.: Compare langue d'oc.

  1. the dialect of Provençal used in Provence.

Origin of Provençal

1
First recorded in 1580–90; from Middle French, from Latin prōvinciālis provincial; see origin at Provence, -al1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Provençal in a sentence

  • In March, he traveled to France and filled a small jar with Provençal air.

  • Not that the Provençal language had ever quite died out even as a written language.

    Frdric Mistral | Charles Alfred Downer
  • The Felibrean festivities continue, the numerous publications in the Provençal tongue still have in him a constant contributor.

    Frdric Mistral | Charles Alfred Downer
  • So that, for the ear, the Provençal and French languages are quite alike in regard to this matter.

    Frdric Mistral | Charles Alfred Downer
  • During these years, too, there were meetings of Provençal writers for the purpose of discussing questions of grammar and spelling.

    Frdric Mistral | Charles Alfred Downer
  • First of all is the forceful utterance of the stressed syllable; the Provençal has post-tonic syllables, unlike the sister-speech.

    Frdric Mistral | Charles Alfred Downer

British Dictionary definitions for Provençal

Provençal

/ (ˌprɒvɒnˈsɑːl, French prɔvɑ̃sal) /


adjective
  1. relating to, denoting, or characteristic of Provence, its inhabitants, their dialect of French, or their Romance language

noun
  1. a language of Provence, closely related to Catalan, French, and Italian, belonging to the Romance group of the Indo-European family. It was important in the Middle Ages as a literary language, and attempts have been made since the 19th century to revive its literary status: See also langue d'oc

  2. a native or inhabitant of Provence

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012