Definition

Proper noun: * The ninth month of the French Republican Calendar: Prairial was a month in the historical calendar created during the French Revolution. It corresponds roughly to late May and June in the Gregorian calendar. The name derives from the French word "prairie," meaning meadow, reflecting the season when meadows are in bloom.

Usage

• Prairial is used exclusively in historical contexts to refer to this specific month in the French Revolutionary Calendar.
• It is always capitalized.

Examples

• The Law of 22 Prairial Year II was a decree that expanded the power of the Revolutionary Tribunal during the Reign of Terror.
• The festival of the Supreme Being was celebrated on 20 Prairial Year II (June 8, 1794, in the Gregorian calendar).
• Historical documents from the Revolution are often dated using months like Prairial, Germinal, and Thermidor.

Advanced Usage

• "The Days of Prairial": This can refer to specific events or uprisings that occurred during this month, most notably the Prairial Uprising (Insurrection of 1–4 Prairial Year III), a popular revolt in Paris against the National Convention.

Variants and Related Words

• Prairie (n): A large open area of grassland, especially in North America. This is the common English word from which the month's name is derived.
• Republican Calendar (n): The calendar system in which Prairial was a month, used in France from 1793 to 1805.

Synonyms

• There are no direct synonyms for this proper noun referring to a specific historical month. In context, one might refer to "the ninth revolutionary month" or "the month of meadows" as a descriptive equivalent.

Related Phrases

• "Floréal, Prairial, Messidor": These are three consecutive months (the 8th, 9th, and 10th) of the Republican Calendar, representing the transition from spring (Floreal - flowers) to early summer (Prairial - meadows) to harvest (Messidor - harvest).

Notes

• The French Republican Calendar was a decimal-based calendar created to remove religious and royalist influences. Each month was divided into three 10-day weeks called .
• As a historical term, "Prairial" is not used in modern timekeeping.

Noun

1. ninth month of the Revolutionary calendar (May and June); the month of meadows