provision

From Middle English provisioun, from Old French provisïon, from Latin prōvīsiō (“preparation, foresight”), from prōvidēre (“provide”).

• IPA^(key): /pɹəˈvɪʒ.ən/

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• Hyphenation: pro‧vi‧sion

provision (countable and uncountable, plural provisions)

1. An item of goods or supplies, especially food, obtained for future use.
   • 1631, Francis [Bacon], “New Atlantis. A Worke Vnfinished.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] William Rawley; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], page 17, →OCLC:

     [H]e hath preſerued all points of Humanity, in taking Order, and making Proviſion for the Releefe of Strangers diſtreſſed; whereof you have taſted.

   • 1674, John Milton, “Book XI”, in Paradise Lost. […], 2nd edition, London: […] S[amuel] Simmons […], →OCLC, page 307:

     [Noah] Began to build a Veſſel of huge bulk, / Meaſur'd by Cubit, length, and breadth, and highth, / Smeared round with Pitch, and in the ſide a dore, / Contriv'd, and of proviſions laid in large / For Man and Beaſt: [...]

   • 1728 [1721 March 17], William Betagh, A Voyage Round the World. Being an Account of a Remarkable Enterprize, Begun In the Year 1719, chiefly to cruiſe on the Spaniards in the great South Ocean. Relating the True hiſtorical Facts of that whole Affair: Teſtifyd by many imployd therein; and confirmd by Authorities from the Owners.‎, London: T. Combes, →OCLC, page 151:

     We have an infirm ſhip's company, and but five months proviſion, which muſt ſerve us to China unleſs we get a ſupply at Guam.

2. The act of providing, or making previous preparation.
   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

     Fiue dayes we do allot thee for prouision,
     To shield thee from disasters of the world,

3. Money set aside for a future event.
4. (accounting) A liability or contra account to recognise likely future adverse events associated with current transactions.

   We increased our provision for bad debts on credit sales going into the recession.

5. (law) A clause in a legal instrument, a law, etc., providing for a particular matter; stipulation; proviso.

   Synonyms: condition, stipulation

   An arrest shall be made in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

   • 2024 March 12, ETSC, ETSC‎:

     Almost half of MEPs wanted to remove the new provisions' to expand the use of megatrucks but an amendment to do that failed to pass by just six votes.

6. (Roman Catholicism) Regular induction into a benefice, comprehending nomination, collation, and installation.
7. (British, historical) A nomination by the pope to a benefice before it became vacant, depriving the patron of his right of presentation.
   • 1765–1769, William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, (please specify |book=I to IV), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC:

     a papal provision

provision (third-person singular simple present provisions, present participle provisioning, simple past and past participle provisioned)

1. (transitive) To supply with provisions.

   to provision an army

   • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London, Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

     We had soon touched land in the same place as before and set to provision the blockhouse. All three made the first journey, heavily laden, and tossed our stores over the palisade.

   • 2001, David L. Lieber, Jules Harlow, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, page 85:

     An emancipated slave must be provisioned by the master.

2. (transitive, computing) To supply (a user) with an account, resources, etc. so that they can use a system; to install the necessary software on a bare-bones system so it can be used for a specific purpose.

   Antonym: deprovision

   • 2023, Kenneth Hess, Practical Linux System Administration‎, O'Reilly, →ISBN:

     A solution is to provision new systems on a private network where they can receive updates, patches, and secure configurations from an internal repository before being placed into a production network.

• supply
• victual

• deprovision
• direct provision
• ground provisions
• provisional
• provisionings
• provide

provision

1. genitive singular of provisio

From Latin prōvīsiōnem (“preparation, foresight”), from prōvidēre (“provide”).

• IPA^(key): /pʁɔ.vi.zjɔ̃/

• audio

  (file)

provision f (plural provisions)

1. provision

• approvisionner
• chèque sans provision

• “provision”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• poivrions

From French provision (“provision”).

provision

1. provision

provision

1. Alternative form of provisioun