a clump of trees on the prairie, in a meadow, etc.
See also: island
- c1797  (1889)  All the wood here, as in the rest of the plains, being only small tufts, here and there, called by the French IlĂȘts de bois, surrounded by the plains the same as an isle encompassed by water, and slips that grow on the richest lands, on low points near the river and on its banks.
- 1873  At intervals, lower spots occur in the prairie, which in wet seasons are filled with water, and in which thin belts of trees usually spring up; these receive the name "Bluffs" or "Islets de Bois."
- 1897  Not necessarily implying that the river has small wooded islets, but that it is bordered at intervals by patches or clumps of trees, commonly called islettes de bois by the voyageurs.