Provençal

[proh-vuhn-sahl, prov-uhn-, 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. Pr, Pr., Prov.

3. the dialect of Provençal used in Provence.

Provençal

/ prɔvɑ̃sal, ˌprɒvɒnˈsɑːl /

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Provençal¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Middle French, from Latin prōvinciālis provincial; Provence, -al ¹

Example Sentences

Many traditional stews are built without it: a Central American jocón, a West African mafe and a Provençal daube all skip browning and rely on other ingredients to deepen their flavors.

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In the living area, which sits on a platform above the kitchen and dining room, hangs a still life of fish and sea urchins by the Provençal painter Eugène Baboulène.

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“The south of France is the source of the vivid colors of the film: the yellow of the dry grass, the turquoise of the water, the dark green of the cypress trees and the orange-red of the tomettes, the small terra cotta tiles typical of Provençal homes. But the palette gradually evolves as the narrator’s awareness of her own story grows, ending on a pale, earthy note.”

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She calls the preparation a “tian,” a French Provençal term that refers to a shallow round earthenware vessel, as well as the dishes baked in it.

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Inspired by the celebrated series of cardplayers by Cézanne, who earlier that year had an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, Cagli’s work veered far from the French master’s Provençal laborers of the 1890s, with their pipes and tradesmen jackets: Unlike those gruff, rustic subjects, Cagli’s are young men in different stages of undress, homoerotically glancing at each other while making encircling gestures.

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