prairie chicken

[ prair-ee chik-uhn ]

/ ˈprɛər i ˌtʃɪk ən /

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noun

either of two North American gallinaceous birds of western prairies, Tympanuchus cupido(greater prairie chicken ), or T. pallidicinctus(lesser prairie chicken ), having brown, black, white, and rufous plumage: both species, once abundant, have diminished greatly in number and are classified as vulnerable.

sharp-tailed grouse.

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Also called prairie fowl, prai·rie grouse

[grous] /ˌgraʊs/ .

Origin of prairie chicken

An Americanism dating back to 1685–95

Words nearby prairie chicken

Praia, Prairial, prairie, prairie breaker, prairie button snakeroot, prairie chicken, prairie clover, prairie crab apple, prairie crocus, prairie dog, prairie-dogging

How to use prairie chicken in a sentence

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
Wearing the right foot of a chicken was considered good luck.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While the chicken today might be the least exotic bird one can think of, it was once a gift that wowed kings.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The chicken, to this day, is valued for its medicinal properties.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In Rome, he writes, the chicken “predicted the outcome of battles.”
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Squinty could look out, but the slats were as close together as those in a chicken coop, and the little pig could not get out.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
This, thought I, is a dismal-looking outcome—two men and a dead horse left high and dry on the sun-flooded prairie.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Not while I had the open prairie underfoot and the summer sky above, and hands to strike a blow or pull a trigger.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
So Hettie put the chicken in a cage, with some wool to cover it, and fed it several times every day, till it came to know her.
The Nursery, July 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 1|Various
"We'll be blamed lucky if we don't run into a prairie-fire before mornin'," Piegan grumbled.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for prairie chicken

prairie chicken

prairie fowl, prairie grouse or prairie hen

noun

either of two mottled brown-and-white grouse, Tympanuchus cupido or T. pallidicinctus, of North America

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