What is "prairie dog"

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.

   From the forests and the prairies, From the great lakes of the northland.
   --Longfellow.

2. A meadow or tract of grass; especially, a so called natural meadow.

   Prairie chicken (Zo["o]l.), 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 (Zo["o]l.), 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 (Zo["o]l.), a large long-eared Western hare ( Lepus campestris). See Jack rabbit, under 2d Jack.

   Prairie hawk, Prairie falcon (Zo["o]l.), 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. (Zo["o]l.) 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. (Zo["o]l.) Same as Prairie dog, above.

   Prairie mole (Zo["o]l.), a large American mole ( Scalops argentatus), native of the Western prairies.

   Prairie pigeon, Prairie plover, or Prairie snipe (Zo["o]l.), the upland plover. See Plover, n., 2.

   Prairie rattlesnake (Zo["o]l.), the massasauga.

   Prairie snake (Zo["o]l.), a large harmless American snake ( Masticophis flavigularis). It is pale yellow, tinged with brown above.

   Prairie squirrel (Zo["o]l.), 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 (Zo["o]l.), 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. (Zo["o]l.) See Coyote.

Etymology 1 n. Any of genus (taxlink Cynomus genus noshow=1), small, stout-bodied burrowing rodents with shallow cheek pouches, native to North America and Central Americ

1. Etymology 2

   alt. 1 (context intransitive transitive English) To pop up from a hole or similar in a manner that resembles the way a prairie dog pops his head up from his burrow. 2 (context slang euphemistic English) To struggle to hold back an involuntary bowel movement. v

2. 1 (context intransitive transitive English) To pop up from a hole or similar in a manner that resembles the way a prairie dog pops his head up from his burrow. 2 (context slang euphemistic English) To struggle to hold back an involuntary bowel movement.

n. any of several rodents of North American prairies living in large complex burrows having a barking cry [syn: prairie marmot]

Prairie Dog is the eighth album by American pianist and arranger Duke Pearson, and his second for the Atlantic label, recorded in 1966.

A prairie dog is a rodent native to North America. Prairie dog may also refer to:

Prairie dogs (genus Cynomys) are herbivorous burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America. The five species are: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah, and Mexican prairie dogs. They are a type of ground squirrel, found in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In Mexico, prairie dogs are found primarily in the northern states, which lie at the southern end of the Great Plains: northeastern Sonora, north and northeastern Chihuahua, northern Coahuila, northern Nuevo León, and northern Tamaulipas. In the United States, they range primarily to the west of the Mississippi River, though they have also been introduced in a few eastern locales. Despite the name, they are not canines.