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Definition of provender - 4 dictionary results

prov⋅en⋅der

  [prov-uhn-der]
Use provender in a Sentence
–noun
1. dry food, as hay or oats, for livestock or other domestic animals; fodder.
2. food; provisions.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME provendre < OF, var. of provende prebend, provender < ML prōbenda, alter. of praebenda prebend, perh. by assoc. with L prōvidēre to look out for, provide

Synonyms:
1. See feed.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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prov·en·der   (prŏv'ən-dər)   
n.  
  1. Dry food, such as hay, used as feed for livestock.
  2. Food or provisions.

[Middle English provendre, from Old French, alteration of provende, from Vulgar Latin *prōvenda, alteration (influenced by Latin prōvidēre, to provide) of Late Latin praebenda; see prebend.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Provender

Prov"en*der\, n. [OE. provende, F. provende, provisions, provender, fr. LL. praebenda (prae and pro being confused), a daily allowance of provisions, a prebend. See Prebend.]

1. Dry food for domestic animals, as hay, straw, corn, oats, or a mixture of ground grain; feed. "Hay or other provender." --Mortimer.

Good provender laboring horses would have. --Tusser.

2. Food or provisions. [R or Obs.]
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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provender 
1306, "allowance paid each chapter member of a cathedral," from Anglo-Fr. provendir, O.Fr. provendier, from Gallo-Romance *provenda, alt. (by influence of L. providere "supply") from L.L. præbenda "allowance, subsistence," from L. præbenda "(things) to be furnished," neut. pl. gerundive of præbere "to furnish, offer," from præ- "before" + habere "to hold" (see habit). Meaning "food, provisions, etc." (esp. dry food for horses) is recorded from 1340.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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