Skip to content
word of the day

Table of Contents

The word for today is…

provender (noun) – 1. Dry food, such as hay, used as feed for livestock.
2. Food or provisions.

Source : The Free Dictionary

Etymology : When English speakers first chewed on the word provender around 1300, it referred to a stipend (also known as a prebend) that a clergyman received from his cathedral or collegiate church. Within a half a century, the word’s current meanings had developed. These days you’re most likely to encounter provender in articles written by food and travel writers. A few such writers confuse provender with purveyor, meaning “a person or business that sells or provides something,” but most of them keep the words straight, as Deidre Schipani does in this quote from the Post and Courier , of Charleston, South Carolina: “The kitchen remains true to its local roots. Buying from island farmers, fisherman, shrimpers, butchers and small local artisans keeps the provender and purveyors in alignment.”

Latest

We Can’t Say We Weren’t Warned

We Can’t Say We Weren’t Warned

What does all this mean for New Zealand? Unsurprisingly and happily, America’s National Security Strategy makes no mention of New Zealand. It would be great if the US forgot about us entirely in a situation where we have no obvious enemies, unless of course we choose to ally ourselves with the US.

Members Public