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Provençal

[proh-vuh n-sahl, prov-uh n-; French praw-vahn-sal]
adjective
  1. of or relating to Provence, its people, or their language.
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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. Abbreviation: Pr, Pr., Prov.Compare langue d'oc.
  3. the dialect of Provençal used in Provence.
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Origin of Provençal

1580–90; < Middle French < Latin prōvinciālis provincial. See Provence, -al1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for provencal

insular, Catalan, Continental, French, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Provencal, Spanish

Examples from the Web for provencal

Contemporary Examples of provencal

Historical Examples of provencal

  • Clemence joked that with a Provencal like him you could never wash out the oil stains.

    L'Assommoir

    Emile Zola

  • All were amiable and highly polished, like all the Provencal nobility.

    The Memoires of Casanova, Complete

    Jacques Casanova de Seingalt

  • She became abstracted and uneasy; jealousy of the Provencal possessed her.

    Lucretia, Complete

    Edward Bulwer-Lytton

  • For days has the pale Provencal been closeted with lawyers; but there is no hope in litigation.

    Lucretia, Complete

    Edward Bulwer-Lytton

  • Then I have a Provencal book on hand, and (interlusive) a Provencal romance.

British Dictionary definitions for provencal

Provençal

adjective
  1. relating to, denoting, or characteristic of Provence, its inhabitants, their dialect of French, or their Romance language
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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 statusSee also langue d'oc
  2. a native or inhabitant of Provence
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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

Word Origin and History for provencal

Provencal

adj.

1580s, from French Provençal, from Provence (see Provence). As a name of a language from 1640s. In reference to a style of cooking, attested from 1841.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper