prairie

[ prair-ee ]

/ ˈprɛər i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prairie ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

a tract of grassland; meadow.

(in Florida) a low, sandy tract of grassland often covered with water.

Southern U.S. wet grassland; marsh.

(initial capital letter) a steam locomotive having a two-wheeled front truck, six driving wheels, and a two-wheeled rear truck.

Nearby words

prague spring, praha, prahu, praia, prairial, prairie, prairie breaker, prairie button snakeroot, prairie chicken, prairie clover, prairie crab apple

Origin of prairie

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

Related forms

prai·rie·like, adjective

Definition for prairie (2 of 2)

Prairie, The

noun

a historical novel (1827) by James Fenimore Cooper.

Compare Leather-Stocking Tales.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for prairie

He stands, one assumes on a porch, which overlooks a prairie.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
One year later and 10 blocks away, my mother came into the world, the granddaughter of those pioneers who had roamed the prairie.
Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History|Katie Baker|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There, abandoned “ghost towns” populate the prairie fields and deserts, serving as a reminder of a not-so-distant past.
The Ghost Towns of Arizona Live On|Justin Jones|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Because there is always this about the land, about prairie and pond and mountain: they never go away.
The Death of a Rodeo Cowboy|Peter Richmond|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But this hardscrabble, prairie town, with its population of 5,000 people, cast its charm on Ballantine.
Death in the Heartland: What Happened to Steven Haataja?|Tim Teeman|March 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By this time the sun was low in the west, and a short time afterward it dipped under the rim of the prairie.
Bert Wilson in the Rockies|J. W. Duffield
In our village, we were as happy as a buffalo on the plains; but now we are more like the hungry and howling wolf in the prairie.
History, Manners, and Customs of the North American Indians|George Mogridge
For several days his voracious plowshare had been turning over the prairie in long ribbons of swath like the pages of a book.
The Wrong Woman|Charles D. Stewart
They looked out a place, but it was near the bushes, and Brother Joseph gave an order to go forward on to the prairie.
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Volume 2|Joseph Smith
He had watched them out of sight over the prairie, and had felt quite proud of himself.
The Sun Maid|Evelyn Raymond

British Dictionary definitions for prairie

prairie

/ (ˈprɛərɪ) /

noun

(often plural) a treeless grassy plain of the central US and S CanadaCompare pampas, steppe, savanna

Word Origin for prairie

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

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