English
provide
Provide comes from Middle English providen, from Latin prōvideō ‘to foresee’, from videō ‘to see’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-‘to see’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*widéh₁yetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*widēō‘to see’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvideō‘to see’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprōvideōas prōvidēre‘to foresee’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500providen
- Englishearliest quotation 1603provide
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-‘to see’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*widéh₁yetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*widēō‘to see’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvideō‘to see’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprōvideōas prōvidēre‘to foresee’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500providen
- Englishearliest quotation 1603provide
Earliest quotation: 1603, Ben[jamin] Jonson: “We have not been covetous, honourable fathers, to change,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’
story, guy, idea, advice, witness, wise, historic, wisdom, guide, wit, wizard, historian, advise, idol, witty, guise, visitation, revue, tabloid, envious, envision, steroid, druid, twit, avis, witter, hypothyroidism, improvise, idyll, weet, trapezoid, hyperthyroidism, parathyroid, hyoid, colloid, thyroxine, visite, sigmoid, thyroiditis, 97 more
through Proto-Italic *widēō ‘to see’
revision, invisibility, vada, evidential, 19 more
through Latin videō ‘to see’
review, visit, video, interview, evidence, vision, invisible, visa, visibility, vista, evident, revise, prudential, voyeur, invidious, 18 more
through Latin prōvideō ‘to foresee, act with foresight’
prudent, jurisprudence, prudence, purview, purveyor, 10 more
Today it means
verb To make a living; earn money for necessities.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyd- / provide