pourvoir

Forms

pourvoir^[1] Old French purveeir, porveeir and porveoir, then pourveoir (1174–1176).^[2][3] The form pourvoir is found about 1268.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French porveoir, inherited from Latin prōvideō (“to see ahead, to foresee, to provide for”), remodelled after pour and voir.^[4][5][2][6] The Latin verb is formed from prō- (“forward”) and videō (“to see”).^[2][1] Bloch and Wartburg add that in Old French it competed with another Old French verb, pourveoir (“to examine closely”), formed in French from the preposition and the verb.^[7]

Cognate with Italian provvedere, Old Occitan provezir, Spanish proveer and Portuguese prover.^[8][9] The Old French verb gave English purvey, while the Latin one gave provide.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded as purveeir in the Voyage de saint Brendan (early 12th century), meaning “to foresee”.^[4][3]

Semantic evolution

In its first sense, “to see in advance”, it was pushed out by prévoir.^[2] Before the end of the 12th century it meant “to procure something for someone”, pourveoir a “to see to, provide for” (1174–1176), and the reflexive sei porveeir de “to supply oneself with” (about 1165).^[4][2] In 1282 pourveoir aucun en norreture meant to bring someone up, or to make someone one's heir.^[4]

In the 17th century the constructions widened: pourvoir quelqu'un “to put someone in possession of an advantage” (before 1615), pourvoir une chose “to equip it” (1690), and pourvoir aux besoins de quelqu'un (1668, La Fontaine).^[4][2] Se pourvoir became a legal term for appealing to a higher court (1680), whence the noun pourvoi (1804).^[4][2] The past participle gave the conjunction pourvu que “provided that” (1396).^[2][7] In Quebec French, pourvoirie names a business that provides hunters and anglers with lodgings and equipment.^[2]

Timeline

• Early 12th century – Purveeir “to foresee” appears in the Voyage de saint Brendan.^[4]
• c. 1165 – Benoît de Sainte-Maure uses sei porveeir de “to supply oneself”.^[4]
• 1174–1176 – Pourveoir a appears in Guernes de Pont-Sainte-Maxence.^[4][2]
• 1248 – The derivative pourveur, later pourvoyeur, is recorded.^[2][7]
• 1396 – Pourveu que “provided that” is recorded.^[2]
• 1668 – La Fontaine writes pourvoir aux besoins.^[4]
• 1680 – Richelet records se pourvoir in law.^[4]
• 1690 – Furetière records it for equipping a thing.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. Pourvoir à: to see to, to provide for, to meet a need: pourvoir à l'éducation de ses neveux.^[10][4][1]
2. (transitive) To provide or equip someone with something: pourvoir un voyageur de vivres.^[10][4][1]
3. (transitive) To endow, of nature or chance: la nature l'a pourvu d'une belle voix.^[10][4]
4. (transitive) To fill a post or vacancy, or to appoint someone to an office.^[1][9]
5. (transitive) To fit a thing out with something: pourvoir une maison d'un chauffage.^[4][10]
6. (reflexive) To supply oneself with something.^[1][4]
7. (reflexive, law) To appeal to a higher court.^[1][4]

Word family

• dépourvoir
• pourvoi
• pourvoirie
• pourvu
• dépourvu
• pourvoyeur
• pourvu que

Related words

• voir
• prévoir
• Latin prōvideō
• English purvey

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 483a
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert