providence

See also: Providence

English

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman providence, Middle French providence, and their source, Latin prōvidentia (“providence, foresight”), from the present participle of prōvidēre (“to provide”). Displaced native Old English foresċēawung.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒvɪdəns/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

providence (countable and uncountable, plural providences)

1. (now rare) Preparation for the future; good governance; foresight. [from 14th c.]
2. The careful governance and guidance of God (or another deity, nature, etc.). [from 14th c.]
   • 2021 February 18, Air Accidents Investigation Branch, “Public Safety”, in AAIB investigation to Alauda Airspeeder Mk II, (UAS, registration n/a) 040719‎^[1], archived from the original on 19 September 2023:

     Constraining the area of a UAS’ operation does not provide protection to the public when there is no guarantee that a UA will remain within these confines. In this case the UA entered controlled airspace used by commercial aircraft and it could have crashed in a nearby densely populated area or at a large public event, both with a high potential for fatalities. As there was no control or influence over where it crashed, it was only down to providence that it crashed in a field 40 m away from occupied houses.

3. A manifestation of divine care or direction; an instance of divine intervention. [from 16th c.]
   • 1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society, published 2012, page 91:

     The idea was that a complete list of fully documented providences should be compiled as a cooperative venture which would cross denominational barriers.

4. Specifically, the prudent care and management of resources; thriftiness, frugality. [from 17th c.]

   His providence in saving for his old age is exemplary.

Related terms

• Lake Providence
• provident

Translations

prudent care and management of resources; thriftiness

• Bulgarian: пестеливост (bg) f (pestelivost)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Czech: obezřetnost (cs) f, opatrnost (cs) f
• Finnish: kaukokatseisuus (fi)
• German: Vorsorge (de) f, Umsicht (de) f
• Greek: ορθολογικά (el) n pl (orthologiká)
• Irish: fadcheann m
• Italian: provvidenza (it) f
• Macedonian: проми́сленост f (promíslenost)
• Manx: ard-chiarail m, ard-chiarailys m
• Persian: [script needed] (ir)
• Plautdietsch: Väarot m
• Portuguese: providência (pt) f
• Russian: предусмотри́тельность (ru) f (predusmotrítelʹnostʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: прови́дно̄ст f

  Roman: provídnōst (sh) f

• Spanish: providencia (es) f
• Swedish: försyn (sv) c
• Ukrainian: передба́чливість (uk) f (peredbáčlyvistʹ)

careful guardianship exercised by a deity

• Armenian: նախախնամություն (hy) (naxaxnamutʿyun)
• Bulgarian: провидение (bg) (providenie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 天意 (zh) (tiānyì), 眷顧／眷顾 (zh) (juàngù), 眷顾 (zh) (juàngù) (Christianity)

• Czech: prozřetelnost f
• Dutch: voorzienigheid (nl) f
• Finnish: kaitselmus, sallimus (fi), johdatus (fi)
• French: providence (fr) f
• German: Vorsehung (de) f
• Greek: πρόνοια (el) f (prónoia)
• Hungarian: gondviselés (hu)
• Italian: provvidenza (it) f
• Japanese: 摂理 (せつり, setsuri)
• Korean: 섭리 (ko) (seomni)
• Macedonian: провидение n (providenie)
• Manx: ard-chiarail m, ard-chiarailys m
• Old English: foresċēawung f
• Ottoman Turkish: قضا (kaza)
• Polish: opatrzność (pl) f
• Portuguese: providência (pt) f
• Russian: провиде́ние (ru) n (providénije)
• Spanish: providencia (es) f
• Swedish: försyn (sv) c
• Tagalog: probidensiya
• Ukrainian: провиді́ння (uk) n (provydínnja)

manifestation of divine care or direction

• Armenian: նախախնամություն (hy) (naxaxnamutʿyun)
• Bulgarian: провидение (bg) n (providenie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: (care) kaitselmus, (direction) sallimus (fi), johdatus (fi)
• German: Fügung (de) f
• Hungarian: gondviselés (hu)
• Italian: provvidenza (it) f
• Macedonian: провидение n (providenie)
• Old English: foresċēawung f
• Ottoman Turkish: قضا (kaza)
• Portuguese: providência (pt) f
• Russian: провиде́ние (ru) n (providénije)
• Spanish: providencia (es) f
• Swedish: försyn (sv) c
• Turkish: takdiriilahi (tr)

See also

• divine

French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin prōvidentia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pʁɔ.vi.dɑ̃s/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

providence f (plural providences)

1. providence

Derived terms

• providentiel

Related terms

• pourvoir

Further reading

• “providence”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Old French

Noun

providence oblique singular, f (nominative singular providence)

1. providence (manifestation of divine care or direction)