Plains of Abraham

proper noun

A plain in Quebec city, Quebec, Canada; a riverside plain atop the escarpment at the edge of the Saint-Lawrence River

Meanings

proper noun
  1. A plain in Quebec city, Quebec, Canada; a riverside plain atop the escarpment at the edge of the Saint-Lawrence River
  2. abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of Battle of the Plains of Abraham, an 1759 battle that resulted in the change in sovereignty of the colonial province of Canada, New France, from the French Crown to the British Crown; becoming the colonial province of Quebec, British North America (later the British colonial province of Canada, thence Dominion of Canada).

    Synonyms: Battle of Quebec

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounEllipsis of Battle of the Plains of Abraham, an 1759 battle that resulted in the change in sovereignty of the colonial province of Canada, New France, from the French Crown to the British Crown; becoming the colonial province of Quebec, British North America (later the British colonial province of Canada, thence Dominion of Canada).

Origin

  1. FrenchPlaines d'Abraham
  2. EnglishPlains of Abraham

Calque of French Plaines d'Abraham, from plaine + Abraham. Named after Scottish farmer, fisherman and river pilot Abraham Martin, who immigrated to New France from Scotland; the landowner whose field occupied a part of the clifftop plain, along with the military drill field, outside the fortress and city walls.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French Bataille des Plaines d'Abraham, Plaines d'Abraham
  • Bataille des Plaines d'Abrahambattle
  • Plaines d'Abrahamplain
Cite this entry
APA

Plains of Abraham. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Plains%20of%20Abraham

MLA

“Plains of Abraham.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Plains%20of%20Abraham. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Plains of Abraham,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Plains%20of%20Abraham.

Source: Plains of Abraham on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.