prairie

[ prair-ee ]

noun

1. an extensive, level or slightly undulating, mostly treeless tract of land in the Mississippi valley, characterized by a highly fertile soil and originally covered with coarse grasses, and merging into drier plateaus in the west. Compare pampas, savanna, steppe.
2. a tract of grassland; meadow.
3. (in Florida) a low, sandy tract of grassland often covered with water.
4. Southern U.S. wet grassland; marsh.
5. (initial capital letter) a steam locomotive having a two-wheeled front truck, six driving wheels, and a two-wheeled rear truck.

prairie

/ ˈprɛərɪ /

noun

1. often plural a treeless grassy plain of the central US and S Canada Compare pampas steppe savanna

prairie

/ prâr′ē /

1. An extensive area of flat or rolling grassland, especially the large plain of central North America.

Other Word Forms

• prairie·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of prairie¹

1675–85; < French: meadow < Vulgar Latin *prātāria, equivalent to Latin prāt ( um ) meadow + -āria, feminine of -ārius -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of prairie¹

C18: from French, from Old French praierie, from Latin prātum meadow

Example Sentences

Upstairs from the bar in the boarding house, lost souls confess their secrets to a prairie witch named the Antidote.

From Los Angeles Times

His pro-labor philosophy echoed Nebraska’s legacy of prairie populism, notably the founding of the People’s Party in the 1890s, which criticized Republicans and Democrats for failing to protect workers and farmers.

From Los Angeles Times

In 1850, when California became the nation’s 31st state, legislators passed the Act for the Government and Protection of Indians, which prohibited intentional burning in prairie lands.

From Los Angeles Times

I wanted Midwestern prairies, but we moved to his hometown on the West Coast.

From Los Angeles Times

After a childhood on the suburban edges of a Midwestern prairie, I wanted big sky and mountains almost as much as I wanted Domi.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• meadow
• pasture
• plain
• savanna
• steppe