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pro·vide (prə-vīd)
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v. pro·vid·ed, pro·vid·ing, pro·vides
v.tr.
1.
a. To make available (something needed or desired); furnish: provide food and shelter for a family.
b. To supply something needed or desired to: provided her family with food.
2. To have as an available or desirable feature; afford: a room that provides ample sunlight through French windows.
3. To set down as a stipulation or requirement: an agreement that provides deadlines for completion of the work.
4. Archaic To make ready ahead of time; prepare.
v.intr.
1. To take measures in preparation: provided for the common defense of the states in time of war.
2. To supply means of subsistence: She provides for her family by working in a hospital.
3. To make a stipulation or requirement: The Constitution provides for a bicameral legislature.

[Middle English providen, from Latin prōvidēre, to provide for : prō-, forward; see PRO-1 + vidēre, to see; see weid- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.