prai

n. [ F., an extensive meadow, OF. praerie, LL. prataria, fr. L. pratum a meadow. ] 1. An extensive tract of level or rolling land, destitute of trees, covered with coarse grass, and usually characterized by a deep, fertile soil. They abound throughout the Mississippi valley, between the Alleghanies and the Rocky mountains. [ 1913 Webster ]

From the forests and the prairies,
From the great lakes of the northland. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A meadow or tract of grass; especially, a so called natural meadow. [ 1913 Webster ]

Prairie chicken (Zool.), any American grouse of the genus Tympanuchus, especially Tympanuchus Americanus (formerly Tympanuchus cupido), which inhabits the prairies of the central United States. Applied also to the sharp-tailed grouse. --
Prairie clover (Bot.), any plant of the leguminous genus Petalostemon, having small rosy or white flowers in dense terminal heads or spikes. Several species occur in the prairies of the United States. --
Prairie dock (Bot.), a coarse composite plant (Silphium terebinthaceum) with large rough leaves and yellow flowers, found in the Western prairies. --
Prairie dog (Zool.), a small American rodent (Cynomys Ludovicianus) allied to the marmots. It inhabits the plains west of the Mississippi. The prairie dogs burrow in the ground in large warrens, and have a sharp bark like that of a dog. Called also prairie marmot. --
Prairie grouse. Same as Prairie chicken, above. --
Prairie hare (Zool.), a large long-eared Western hare (Lepus campestris). See Jack rabbit, under 2d Jack. --
Prairie hawk,
Prairie falcon (Zool.), a falcon of Western North America (Falco Mexicanus). The upper parts are brown. The tail has transverse bands of white; the under parts, longitudinal streaks and spots of brown. --
Prairie hen. (Zool.) Same as Prairie chicken, above. --
Prairie itch (Med.), an affection of the skin attended with intense itching, which is observed in the Northern and Western United States; -- also called swamp itch, winter itch. --
Prairie marmot. (Zool.) Same as Prairie dog, above. --
Prairie mole (Zool.), a large American mole (Scalops argentatus), native of the Western prairies. --
Prairie pigeon,
Prairie plover, or
Prairie snipe (Zool.), the upland plover. See Plover, n., 2. --
Prairie rattlesnake (Zool.), the massasauga. --
Prairie snake (Zool.), a large harmless American snake (Masticophis flavigularis). It is pale yellow, tinged with brown above. --
Prairie squirrel (Zool.), any American ground squirrel of the genus Spermophilus, inhabiting prairies; -- called also gopher. --
Prairie turnip (Bot.), the edible turnip-shaped farinaceous root of a leguminous plant (Psoralea esculenta) of the Upper Missouri region; also, the plant itself. Called also pomme blanche, and pomme de prairie. --
Prairie warbler (Zool.), a bright-colored American warbler (Dendroica discolor). The back is olive yellow, with a group of reddish spots in the middle; the under parts and the parts around the eyes are bright yellow; the sides of the throat and spots along the sides, black; three outer tail feathers partly white. --
Prairie wolf. (Zool.) See Coyote. [ 1913 Webster ]

. Illinois; -- a nickname. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. Fit to be praised; praise-worthy; laudable; commendable. Wyclif (2 Tim. ii. 15). [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a praisable manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. preis, OF. preis price, worth, value, estimation. See Praise, v., Price. ] 1. Commendation for worth; approval expressed; honor rendered because of excellence or worth; laudation; approbation. [ 1913 Webster ]

There are men who always confound the praise of goodness with the practice. Rambler. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Praise may be expressed by an individual, and thus differs from fame, renown, and celebrity, which are always the expression of the approbation of numbers, or public commendation. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Especially, the joyful tribute of gratitude or homage rendered to the Divine Being; the act of glorifying or extolling the Creator; worship, particularly worship by song, distinction from prayer and other acts of worship; as, a service of praise. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The object, ground, or reason of praise. [ 1913 Webster ]

He is thy praise, and he is thy God. Deut. x. 21. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Encomium; honor; eulogy; panegyric; plaudit; applause; acclaim; eclat; commendation; laudation. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Praised p. pr. & vb. n. Praising. ] [ OE. preisen, OF. preisier, prisier, F. priser, L. pretiare to prize, fr. pretium price. See Price, n., and cf. Appreciate, Praise, n., Prize, v. ] 1. To commend; to applaud; to express approbation of; to laud; -- applied to a person or his acts. “I praise well thy wit.” Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Let her own works praise her in the gates. Prov. xxxi. 31. [ 1913 Webster ]

We praise not Hector, though his name, we know,
Is great in arms; 't is hard to praise a foe. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To extol in words or song; to magnify; to glorify on account of perfections or excellent works; to do honor to; to display the excellence of; -- applied especially to the Divine Being. [ 1913 Webster ]

Praise ye him, all his angels; praise ye him, all his hosts! Ps. cxlviii. 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To value; to appraise. [ Obs. ] Piers Plowman. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To commend; laud; eulogize; celebrate; glorify; magnify. -- To Praise, Applaud, Extol. To praise is to set at high price; to applaud is to greet with clapping; to extol is to bear aloft, to exalt. We may praise in the exercise of calm judgment; we usually applaud from impulse, and on account of some specific act; we extol under the influence of high admiration, and usually in strong, if not extravagant, language. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Praiseworthy. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Praiseworthy. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]