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Provençal

[proh-vuh n-sahl, prov-uh n-; French praw-vahn-sal]
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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

Examples from the Web for provencal

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • 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