Where does “purveyor” come from?
Purveyor comes from Old French purveour, from Old French porveoir meaning to foresee or provide, from Latin providere, combining Latin pro- with Proto-Indo-European weyd- meaning to see.
purveyor (English): Someone who supplies what is needed, especially...
Definitions
- Someone who supplies what is needed, especially...
Ancestry of “purveyor”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | purveiour | — |
| 2 | French | pourvoyeur | purveyor, supplier, source |
| 3 | Old French | purveour | purveyor |
| 4 | Old French | porveoir | to look at; to procure |
| 5 | Latin | prōvideō | to foresee |
| 6 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |