Etymologically
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providus

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈproː.wɪ.dʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈprɔː.vi.dus][1]

Forms

prōvidus (feminine prōvida, neuter prōvidum, adverb prōvidē); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin prōvideō (“to foresee, provide”) + -us.[2][3] prōvideō is from prō- and videō (“to see”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *wid-ē- (“to see”) and Proto-Indo-European *wid-eh₁- (“to see”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Cicero, who writes of a mind that foresees the future.[5][6]

Semantic evolution

It is foreseeing, prophetic: Livy has an expectation that foresaw the future, Ovid an augur who foresees the truth.[6][2] More often it is provident, exercising forethought: Cicero says that the hearers' ears guide the prudent and provident orator.[2] Of actions it means marked by foresight, as Ovid's provident care of a leader.[2] The TLL finds no comparative or superlative; forms of prōvidēns serve instead.[3] Church Latin glosses it provident, cautious, prudent.[7]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of a foreseeing mind and of a provident orator.[2][6][5]
  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy of foresight.[6][5]
  • 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid of a prophetic mind.[2][5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Having foreknowledge, prophetic.[2][6][1]
  2. Exercising foresight, provident, prudent, cautious; of actions, marked by forethought.[2][7][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson