The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Prairie \Prai"rie\, 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.
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            From the forests and the prairies,
            From the great lakes of the northland. --Longfellow.
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   2. A meadow or tract of grass; especially, a so called
      natural meadow.
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   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.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Winter \Win"ter\, n. [AS. winter; akin to OFries. & D. winter,
   OS. & OHG. wintar, G. winter, D. & Sw. vinter, Icel. vetr,
   Goth. wintrus; of uncertain origin; cf. Old Gallic vindo-
   white (in comp.), OIr. find white. ????.]
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   1. The season of the year in which the sun shines most
      obliquely upon any region; the coldest season of the year.
      "Of thirty winter he was old." --Chaucer.
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            And after summer evermore succeeds
            Barren winter, with his wrathful nipping cold.
                                                  --Shak.
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            Winter lingering chills the lap of May. --Goldsmith.
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   Note: North of the equator, winter is popularly taken to
         include the months of December, January, and February
         (see Season). Astronomically, it may be considered to
         begin with the winter solstice, about December 21st,
         and to end with the vernal equinox, about March 21st.
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   2. The period of decay, old age, death, or the like.
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            Life's autumn past, I stand on winter's verge.
                                                  --Wordsworth.
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   Winter apple, an apple that keeps well in winter, or that
      does not ripen until winter.

   Winter barley, a kind of barley that is sown in autumn.

   Winter berry (Bot.), the name of several American shrubs
      (Ilex verticillata, Ilex laevigata, etc.) of the Holly
      family, having bright red berries conspicuous in winter.


   Winter bloom. (Bot.)
      (a) A plant of the genus Azalea.
      (b) A plant of the genus Hamamelis (Hamamelis
          Viginica); witch-hazel; -- so called from its flowers
          appearing late in autumn, while the leaves are
          falling.

   Winter bud (Zool.), a statoblast.

   Winter cherry (Bot.), a plant (Physalis Alkekengi) of the
      Nightshade family, which has, a red berry inclosed in the
      inflated and persistent calyx. See Alkekengi.

   Winter cough (Med.), a form of chronic bronchitis marked by
      a cough recurring each winter.

   Winter cress (Bot.), a yellow-flowered cruciferous plant
      (Barbarea vulgaris).

   Winter crop, a crop which will bear the winter, or which
      may be converted into fodder during the winter.

   Winter duck. (Zool.)
      (a) The pintail.
      (b) The old squaw.

   Winter egg (Zool.), an egg produced in the autumn by many
      invertebrates, and destined to survive the winter. Such
      eggs usually differ from the summer eggs in having a
      thicker shell, and often in being enveloped in a
      protective case. They sometimes develop in a manner
      different from that of the summer eggs.

   Winter fallow, ground that is fallowed in winter.

   Winter fat. (Bot.) Same as White sage, under White.

   Winter fever (Med.), pneumonia. [Colloq.]

   Winter flounder. (Zool.) See the Note under Flounder.

   Winter gull (Zool.), the common European gull; -- called
      also winter mew. [Prov. Eng.]

   Winter itch. (Med.) See Prarie itch, under Prairie.

   Winter lodge, or Winter lodgment. (Bot.) Same as
      Hibernaculum.

   Winter mew. (Zool.) Same as Winter gull, above. [Prov.
      Eng.]

   Winter moth (Zool.), any one of several species of
      geometrid moths which come forth in winter, as the
      European species (Cheimatobia brumata). These moths have
      rudimentary mouth organs, and eat no food in the imago
      state. The female of some of the species is wingless.

   Winter oil, oil prepared so as not to solidify in
      moderately cold weather.

   Winter pear, a kind of pear that keeps well in winter, or
      that does not ripen until winter.

   Winter quarters, the quarters of troops during the winter;
      a winter residence or station.

   Winter rye, a kind of rye that is sown in autumn.

   Winter shad (Zool.), the gizzard shad.

   Winter sheldrake (Zool.), the goosander. [Local, U. S.]

   Winter sleep (Zool.), hibernation.

   Winter snipe (Zool.), the dunlin.

   Winter solstice. (Astron.) See Solstice, 2.

   Winter teal (Zool.), the green-winged teal.

   Winter wagtail (Zool.), the gray wagtail (Motacilla
      melanope). [Prov. Eng.]

   Winter wheat, wheat sown in autumn, which lives during the
      winter, and ripens in the following summer.

   Winter wren (Zool.), a small American wren (Troglodytes
      hiemalis) closely resembling the common wren.
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