provide

Borrowed from Latin prōvideō (“I foresee, I act with foresight”). Doublet of purvey.

• IPA^(key): /pɹəˈvaɪd/

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• Rhymes: -aɪd

provide (third-person singular simple present provides, present participle providing, simple past and past participle provided)

1. To make a living; earn money for necessities.

   It is difficult to provide for my family working on minimum wage.

2. To act to prepare for something.
3. To establish as a previous condition; to stipulate.

   The contract provides that the work be well done.

   I'll lend you the money, provided that you pay it back by Monday.

4. To give what is needed or desired, especially basic needs.

   Don't bother bringing equipment, as we will provide it.

   We aim to provide the local community with more green spaces.

   • 2006, Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma, The Penguin Press, →ISBN, page 320:

     Humans provided the animals with food and protection in exchange for which the animals provided the humans their milk, eggs, and—yes—their flesh.

5. To furnish (with), cause to be present.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Arbuthnot

     Rome […] was well provided with corn.

6. To make possible or attainable.

   He provides us with an alternative option.

   • (Can we date this quote?) John Milton

     Bring me berries, or such cooling fruit / As the kind, hospitable woods provide.

7. (obsolete, Latinism) To foresee.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Ben Jonson to this entry?)

8. To appoint to an ecclesiastical benefice before it is vacant. See provisor.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Prescott to this entry?)

As seen in the examples, when not used with that for previous conditions, provide is used with the prepositions for (beneficiary; also without preposition, usual for pronouns) and with (object).

• provider

• provision

• prevoid

• provinde

provide

1. second-person plural imperative of provir

provide

1. third-person singular past historic of provedere

• deprivo, deprivò
• provedi

prōvidē

1. second-person singular present active imperative of prōvideō

providus

1. singular vocative of providus

• provide in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• provide in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette