Skip to main content
Prairial

Prairial

1 9.9
A month in the French Revolutionary calendar covering May and June
  • noun
  • Archaic
: Prairial
  • Many historical events are dated according to the Prairial in French records.

Examples

  • The uprising of 1 Prairial Year III marked a turning point in the Revolution.

  • In Prairial, many farmers begin their planting season.

  • Crops flourished during Prairial, when the meadows were in full bloom.

  • The month of Prairial is celebrated for its blooming flowers.

  • Crops flourished during Prairial, when the meadows were in full bloom.

  • The month of Prairial is celebrated for its blooming flowers.

  • In Prairial, many farmers begin their planting season.

Surface Forms

Prairial singular
Prairials plural

Morphology

Prairial = prairie (opaque) = prairie + al

Although the form is historically built from 'prairie' plus '-al', the French Revolutionary calendar month sense is not predictable from those parts for an average learner.

Etymology

The word Prairial comes from the French word prairie, which means 'meadow'. The French Revolutionary calendar used nature names for months, so Prairial is the 'meadow month' that falls around May and June, a time when fields are full of grass and flowers.