prank 
praiiffe, make ashow,G.dial.;>ry<.-'ii,/<raH(7- 
gf, assume airs, and further connected with 
branlc, etc., and W. prnnycio, prank, anil with 
D. and MLO. pracht, OHG. MHG.praht, braht, 
(I. praclit, Icel. jirakt, Sw. prakt, Dan. profit, 
Somp, splendor. Cf. prance.] I. tran. 1. To 
ecorate; adorn; deck; especially, to deck out 
in a showy manner. 
To prancke jour Bellies in a lookinge Glassc. 
I. <il>/, Kuphues and his Kngland, p. 433. 
Circled with children, pranking up a girl, 
And patting jewels In her little ears. 
Middleton, Chaste Maid, 111. 3. 
False rules prank' d In reason's garb. 
Milton, Comus, L 769. 
Some prank up their bodies, and have their minds full 
of execrable vices. Burton, Aimt. of Mel., p. 36. 
When viulets proofed the turf with blue. 
//..'., Poems, Old-Year Song. 
2f. To adjust ; set in order. 
Some frounce their curled heare In courtly guise ; 
Some prancke their ruffes. Spenser, V. Q., I. Iv. 14. 
TT intrans. 1. To present a showy or gaudy 
appearance ; make a brilliant show. 
It was on a Wednesday that the pranking army of high- 
mettled warriors Issued forth from the ancient gates of 
Antiquera. Irving, Granada, p. 87. 
White houses prank where once were huts. 
M Arnold, Obermann Once More. 
2t. To be crafty or subtle. Palsgrave. 
prank (prangk), n. and a. [< prank, r.] I. n. 
A playful or mischievous act; a trick played 
sometimes in malice, but more commonly in 
sport; an escapade; a gambol. 
His prank have been too broad to bear with. 
Shak., Hamlet, iii. 4. _'. 
Both old and young commended the maid 
That such a witty prank had play'd. 
Friar in the Well (Child's Ballads, VIII. 125). 
His dog, . . . with many a frisk 
Wide-scamp'ring, snatches up the drifted snow. . . . 
Heedless of all his prank*, the sturdy churl 
Moves right toward the mark. Cowper, Task, v. 02. 
=Syn. Whim, etc. (teefrrakv), antic, vagary. 
II. t a. Frolicsome; mischievous. 
If I do not seem pranker now than I did in those days, 
111 be hang'd. A. Brewer ('!), Lingua, iv. 7. 
pranker (prang'ker), M. [<. prank +-<?>!.] One 
who pranks, or dresses ostentatiously ; a person 
fond of show or ostentation. 
If she be a noted reveller, a gadder, a singer, a pranker 
or dancer, then take heed of her. 
Burton, Anat. of Mel., p. 539. 
prankingly (prang'king-li), adr. In a pranking 
manner; showily; ostentatiously. 
prankish (prang'kish), a. [< prank + -i 
Mischievous; frolicsome; full of pranks. 
prankle 1 (prang'kl), v. i.; pret. and pp. pran- 
kled, ppr. prankling. [Freq. of prank, r.J To 
prance. Hatliicell. [Prov. Eng.] 
prankle' 2 (prang'kl), H. [Prob. a reduction of 
periwinkle*, accom. to prawn (formerly prune).] 
A prawn. Halliwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
pranksome (praugk'sum), a. [< prank + -gome.] 
Prankish; mischievous; frolicsome. 
Ah, but he drove a pranktxnne quill ! 
With quips he wove a spell. 
Uarper't May., LXXIX. 972. 
prase (praz), w. [< F. prase, leek-green, < Or. 
irpaoov, a leek: see pranon.] A cryptocrystal- 
line variety of quartz, of a leek-green color. See 
- quartz. 
prasine (pras'in), a. [< OF. prasin, fern, pra- 
gine, < L. pranimis, < Gr. irpaaivof, leek-green, < 
irfMoov, leek: see prason.] 1. Of a light-green 
color, inclining to yellow. 2. In her., same as 
rert. Also prasin. 
prasinous (pras'i-nus), a. [< praginc + -oug.] 
Same as praxine. 
prasoid (pra'soid), a. [< Gr. ir/iaaoeiirK, like a 
leek, < npaoov, leek, + etSof, form.] Resem- 
bling prase. 
prasont (pra'sqn), n. [< Gr. irpaoov, leek, = 
L. porrum, leek : see porret.] A leek ; also, a 
seaweed of leek-green color. 
prat't (prat), n. [< UTS.. prat. < A.8.pr>et,priett, 
a trick, craft: see pretty.] A trick. 
prat' 2 (prat), n. [Origin obscure.] The but- 
tock. [Slang.] 
Kiddle, Patrico, and let me sing. 
oth my pratt. 
Brame, Jovial Crew, II. 
, , . 
Kirst set me down here on both my 
pratal (pra'tal), a. [< L. pratum, a meadow.] 
In lint., growing in meadows. Compare inirnnl. 
prate (priit). /. : pn-t. iiml pp. /iriilnl, |ipr. />nit- 
IH,I. [< MK. in-iitiii, < MD. D.praten = Ml.(i. 
l&.praten = Icel. tiw.pratti = l)un.pratr, talk. 
pratv. Hence frt-q. ]irnttli:] I. inlranx. To 
4G70 
talk idly or boastfully; be loquacious; chatter; 
babble. 
To speake or prate, or vse mnch talke, ingenders many 
lyes. Kabeet Book (E. E. T. S.X p. 94. 
Quoth hold Robin Hood, " Thou dost jirate like an ass." 
H'ibin Hood and Little John (Child's Ballads, V. 218). 
Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear 
Thy very stones prate of uiy whereabouts. 
Shak., Macbeth, IL 1. 58. 
II. trans. To utter foolishly ; chatter. 
He that pratet his secrets, 
His heart stands a' tlf side. 
Tournevr, Revenger's Tragedy, 111. 5. 
He pratet Latin 
An it were a parrot, or a play-boy. 
B. Joiuon, New Inn, L 1. 
prate (prat), n. [= D. praut = Sw. Dan. prat, 
talk; from the verb.] Idle or childish talk; 
prattle ; unmeaning loquacity ; twaddle. 
If I talk to him, with his Innocent jirnle 
He will awake my mercy which lies dead. 
Shak., K. John, iv. 1. 26. 
Will the child kill me with her foolish pratet 
Tennyfon, Guinevere. 
= Syn. See prattle. 
prate-apacet (prat'a-pas'), . A prater; a talk- 
ative person ; a chatterbox. [Rare.] 
Prince of passions, prate-apacet, and pickl'd lovers. 
ueyvrood. Love's Mistress, 11. 1. 
pratefult (prat'ful), a. Inclined to prate; lo- 
quacious ; idly talkative. 
The French character seems to me much altered ; . . . 
the people are more circumspect, less pratcful. 
Taylor of Norwich, 1802 (Memoir, I. 208). (Dariei.) 
prater (pra'ter), n. [(prate + -er 1 .] One who 
prates; an idle talker; a loquacious person; 
one who speaks much to little purpose; a bab- 
bler. 
What ! a speaker is but a prater. 
Shak., Hen. V., v. 2. 166. 
A Yorkshire girl herself, she hated to hear Yorkshire 
abused by such a pitiful prater. 
Charlotte Bronte, Shirley, vl. 
pratict, . Sec pratique. 
praticien (F. pron. pra-te-si-an'), n. [F. : see 
practician.] In French law, a person appointed 
fjy the court to examine into a question of ac- 
count and to report ; an expert referee. 
Praticola (pra-tik'o-lS), n. [NL., < L. pratum, 
a meadow, -r- colere, inhabit.] 1. In ornith., 
same as I'ratiiirola. Kiuip, 1819. 2. In conch., 
a genus of land-snails or Heliddm. Strebel, 1879. 
pratilyt, adv. An obsolete form of prettily. 
Pratincola (pra-ting'ko-la), n. [NL,. : see pra- 
tincole.] 1. In ornith., a genus of chats or saxi- 
coline birds ; the whinchats, such as /'. rubicola 
and /'. rubetra of Europe. Also called Prati- 
cola, t'ruticicola, and Itubctra. 2. [I.e.] Same 
as pratincole. 
pratincole (prat'ing-kol), n. [< NL. pratincola, 
< L. pratum, a meadow, + incola, an inhabit- 
ant: see incolant.] A glareole, as Olareola 
pratincola; any bird of the family Glarcolidse. 
See cut under (llareola. 
prating (pra'ting), p. a. Chattering; talking 
idly; loquacious. 
prating (pra'ting), n. [Verbal n. of prate, r.] 
Idle or boastful talk.=gyn. Chatter, etc. w prattle. 
pratingly (pra'ting-li), i"/r. In a prating man- 
ner; with much idle talk; with loquacity. 
pratique, pratic (prat'ek, -ik), n. [Formerly 
also pratttc, prattick, etc.; in later use con- 
formed to the F., pratique, prattique, < F. pra- 
tique, practice: see practic. ] 1. In cow., inter- 
course ; the cornmnoicatipn between a ship and 
the port in which she arrives; hence, a license 
or permission to hold intercourse and trade 
with the inhabitants of a place, especially after 
quarantine, or certificate of non-infectiveness. 
We remain yet aboard, and must be content to be so, 
to make up the month before we have pratic that Is, be- 
fore any be permitted to go ashore and negotiate, in re- 
gard we touched at some infected llaces. 
ItmrM, Letters, I. L 26. 
At first, Indeed, Prattick was allow'd, though only to two 
or three of our Seamen out of every Ship, who had the 
Favour to go aahoar. Milton, Letters of State, May, 1K68. 
Almost as soon as we had anchored, the quarantine of- 
ficer came on board and gave us pratiirue. 
E. Sartoniu, In the Soudan, p. 93. 
2f. Experience; practice. 
One (either of Venice or Padoa) hath written unto a cer- 
tain Florentine, of great prattick with strangers, to enquire 
after me amungst the Dutch nation. 
Sir H. Wotlon, Reliqule, p. 6.'(. 
How could any one of English education and prattiqtit 
swallow such a low rabble suggestion? Much more mon- 
Htrous Is It to imagine readers so imposable upon to credit 
It upon anyone's bare relation. 
Roger Korth, Examen, p. 306. (llaiv*.) 
prattict, " An obsolete variant of prntii/nr. 
prawn 
prattle (prat'l), r. ; pret. and pp. prattled, ppr. 
prattliny. [Freq. and dim. of prate.] I. intrants. 
To talk artlessly and childishly; talk freely and 
idly, like a child; chatter; be loquacious; prate 
The office of the woman Is to spin and prattle, and the 
office of the man Is to holde his peace and fight. 
Guevara, Letters (tr. by Hfllowes, l.',77), p. 161. 
Now we prattle 
Of handsome gentlemen, in my opinion 
Malfato is a very pretty fellow. 
Ford, Lady's Trial, 1. . 
II. trans. 1. To force or effect by talking; 
bring or lead by prattling. 
Tongue, I must put you into a butter -woman's mouth, 
and buy myself another of Bajazet's mule, If you prattle me 
into these perils. Shak., All's Well, Iv. 1. & 
2. To utter in a babbling or childish manner. 
Frequent In park with lady at his side, 
Ambling and prattling scandal as he goes. 
Cotrper, Task. 11. 382. 
prattle (prat'l), w. [< prattle, r.] Artless or 
childish talk; hence, puerile loquacity; twad- 
dle. 
Mere prattlr, without practice, 
Is all his soldiership. Shak., Othello, L 1. 26. 
= Syn. Prattle, /'rating. Chat, Chatter, Babble, Tattle, Got- 
rip. Gabble, Palaver, Twaddle, Gibberuh, Jargon, Balder- 
dash, Higmarole. I'rattle is generally harmless, if not pleas- 
ant, as the prattle of a child, or of a simple-minded person ; 
pratintj now generally suggests the idea of lasting or talk- 
Ing above one's knowledge ; chat is easy conversation upon 
light and agreeable subjects, as social chat beside an open 
fire ; chatter is incessant or abundant talk, seeming rather 
foolish and soundingpretty much alike ; babble or babbliiuj 
is talk that is foolish to inaneness, as that of the drun- 
kard (Prov. \\iii. 29) ; tattle Is talk upon subjects that are 
petty, and especially such as breed scandal ; gotrip Is the 
small talk of the neighborhood, especially upon personal 
matters, perhapsdeallng with scandal ; aabble is a contemp- 
tuous word, putting the talk upon the level of the sounds 
made by geese; palaver Implies that the talk Is either 
longer than is necessary, or wordy, or meant to deceive by 
flattery and plausibility ; twaddle is mere silliness In talk ; 
yibberuh is mere sounds strung together without sense ; 
jargon is talk that Is unintelligible by the mingling of 
sounds or by the lack of meaning ; balderdatih is noisy 
nonsense ; nomarole Is talk that has the form of sense, but 
Is really incoherent, confused, or nonsensical. 
prattle-baskett (prat'l-bas'ket), H. A prattle- 
box. 
But if she be ilfauor'd, blind and old, 
A praltle-baiket, or an Idle slut. 
Breton, Mother's Blessing, st. 74. (Dariet.) 
prattlebox (prat'1-boks), n. A chatterbox; a 
prattler. 
The old prattlebox . . . made a short pause to recover 
breath. Peter Wilkini, I. IL 
prattlement (prat'1-ment), . [< prattle + 
-meat.] Prattle. 
The childish prattlement of pastoral composition. 
Cowper, Letter to Unwin, Oct. 31, 1779. 
prattler (prat'ler), n. [< prattle -f -eri.] One 
who prattles; a puerile or trifling talker. 
Poor prattler, how thou talk'st ! 
Shak., Macbeth, iv. 2. 64. 
pratyM, o. An obsolete form of pretty. 
praty 2 (pra'ti), n. A dialectal (Irish) corruption 
of potato. 
prau, n. Same as proa. H. 0. Forbes, Eastern 
Archipelago, p. 126. 
prauncet, c. An obsolete form of prance. 
pravileget,". [<L.prnr*,bad, + lex (leg-),l&w; 
formed in contrast with privilege.] A bad law. 
[Rare.] 
And whatsoeuer colour of right. In Exemptions, Cus- 
tomes, Priuiledges, and prau&eges . . . 
Purchat, Pilgrimage, p. 133. 
pravity (prav'i-ti), n. ; pi. prarities (-tiz). [= 
OF. prariU = Sp. prareitaa = Pg. pravirtade = 
It.prarita, < L. praritas, crookedness, badness, 
deformity, < prawn, crooked, bad. Cf . deprave, 
depravity.] Evil or corrupt state; moral per- 
verseness; depravity; wickedness; depraved 
action. 
As these prariiie* have corrupted him (the devil], we 
must hate him. Rev. T. Adamt, Works, II. 41. 
Give me leave first to make an Inquisition after this an- 
tichristian pravity. Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 1836), II. 94. 
prawling(pra'ling), w. An accommodated form 
of praline. H'orkshoii Keceiptu, 2d ser.. p. 159. 
prawn (pran), w. [Early mod. E. also prann, 
/iriine; < ME. prone, a prawn; perhaps trans- 
posed from an unrecorded OF. "jiarne, *perne, a 
prawn (t), = Sp. perna, a flat shell-ftsh, = Olt. 
perna, "anakreornarre-f58h"(Florio), cf. dim. 
IHirniM'rliii; pi., "shrimps or prawne fishes" 
i Flnrio),< L. perna, a sea-mussel, so called from 
its slnipo, <;) (>()F. perne), ham.] Along- 
liiili-il tcn-fiMitiMl Crustacean, I'al/einon gerratux. 
abundant on the shores of Great Britain, resem- 
bling the shrimp, but 1m ving a long serrate ros- 
trum: licncc. nny HpiTii-s of the family I'ulir- 
The common prawn Is 3 or 4 Inches long, and 
