The word prairie is derived from the Arabic word barary
the verdict
CONTESTED
contested - evenly split
refutedsupported
the weight of evidence
1 source for · 1 against
AS REPORTEDno primary record reached; this is what the reporting says
The retrieved sources do not provide sufficient etymological evidence from the OED or linguist discussions to definitively refute or support the claim that prairie derives from the Arabic word barary.
# Can the word "prairie" be derived from the arabic word "barary"
Tags: english, etymology, arabic
- Score: 2
- Views: 2273
- Answers: 2
- Answered: yes
- Asked by: Yusuf (102 rep)
- Asked: 2014-02-13
- Edited: 2014-02-14
- Site: linguistics
## Question
I've found a great similarity between the two words and their meanings.
"Barary" براري in Arabic is the plural form of "Barr-īyah" بَرِّيَّة, from the word "Barr" meaning land, with the nisbah suffix -īyah, which means pertaining to land, and its plural form was used a lot in Classical Arabic meaning vast lands -very close to the meaning in English.-
I've searched the online etymology dictionary for prairie and this is what I found:
"tract of level or undulating grassland in North America, by 1773, from French prairie "meadow, grassland," from Old French praerie "meadow, pastureland" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *prataria, from Latin pratum "meadow," originally "a hollow." The word existed in Middle English as prayere, but was lost and reborrowed to describe the American plains. Prairie dog is attested from 1774; prairie schooner "immigrant's wagon" is from 1841. Illinois has been the Prairie State since at least 1861. In Latin
prairie, n. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary
-->
Skip to main content
-->
Factsheet
Etymology
Meaning & use
Pronunciation
Forms
Frequency
List of compounds & derived words
Dictionary Historical Thesaurus Factsheet Quotations Hide all quotations Factsheet What does the noun prairie mean? There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun prairie . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. This word is used in North American English. See meaning & use How common is the noun prairie ? About 5 occurrences per million words in modern written English 1750 0.043 1760 0.046 1770 0.06 1780 0.061 1790 0.25 1800 0.93 1810 1.6 1820 3.5 1830 5.3 1840 7.9 1850 9.2 1860 9.8 1870 9.8 1880 9.5 1890 9.7 1900 9.7 1910 9.9 1920 9.8 1930 9.4 1940 8.6 1950 7.3 1960 6.3 1970 5.5 1980 5.3 1990 5.0 2000 4.9 2010 4.8 See frequency What is the etymology of the noun prairie ? prairie is a borrowing from French . Etymons: French prairie . See etymology What is the earliest known use of the noun prairie ? Earliest known use late 1600s The earliest known use of the noun prairie is in the late 1600s. OED's earliest evidence for prairie is from before 1682, in the writing of Sir Thomas Browne, physician and author. See meaning & use How is the noun prairie pronounced? British English /ˈprɛːri/ PRAIR-ee
U.S. English /ˈprɛri/ PRAIR-ee
See pronunciation Nearby entries Prägnanz, n. 1931– prags, n. 1990– Prague, n. 1909– Praguean, adj. & n. 1968– Praguian, adj. & n. 1955– prahu, n. 1582– praia, n. 1682– praiere, n. ?c1335–1400 praire, n. 1929– Prairial, n. 1793– prairie, n. a1682– prairie alligator, n. 1890– prairie apple, n. 1820– prairie bean, n. 1805– prairie bitters, n. 1848–72 prairie bottom, n. 1805– prairie brant, n. 1888– prairie breaker, n. 1857– prairie-breaking, adj. & n. 1845– prairie buffalo, n. 1806&nda