Meanings
plural prairie schooners
- historicalA covered wagon, especially one of the relatively light, cheap, and boxy design popular in the United States during the 19th century.
It was what we call a "prairie schooner," covered with cloth, a genuine emigrant wagon.
1864, Charles S. Bryant, Abel B. Murch, A History of the Great Massacre by the Sioux Indians, in Minnesota: Including the Personal Narratives of Many who Escaped, Rickey & Carroll, page 112
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna large wagon with broad wheels and an arched canvas top; used by the United States pioneers to cross the prairies in the 19th century
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From the sail-like appearance of the wagons' covers when traversing tall grass.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
prairie schooner. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prairie%20schooner
“prairie schooner.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prairie%20schooner. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prairie schooner,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prairie%20schooner.
Source: prairie schooner on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.