Provisional

How to spell provisional

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce provisional

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does provisional mean?

1. adjectiveArranged or accepted for the present time only, subject to later change or confirmation.

Provisional in a sentence

• The committee reached a provisional agreement that still needs final approval.

• New drivers must display plates while holding a provisional licence.

Where does provisional come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb providere, meaning 'to foresee' or 'to make provision for', formed from pro- 'ahead' and videre 'to see'; the literal sense was looking ahead and preparing for what is to come. From providere came the noun provisio, 'a foreseeing' or 'a precaution', which gave English the word 'provision' for a supply set aside or a clause arranged in advance. The adjective 'provisional' arrived in the 1600s, partly through French provisionnel, to describe something put in place for the time being until a permanent arrangement is settled. The same videre root sits inside familiar words such as 'vision', 'evident', and 'supervise', and remembering that buried 'vis' (to see) helps fix the spelling, since the temptation is to drop or muddle that middle syllable. The modern meaning, 'temporary and conditional', flows directly from that idea of an arrangement made looking ahead, before the final version is fixed.

How the word is built

• pro- (ahead, beforehand)
• vis (from videre: to see)
• -ion (act/state)
• -al (adjective suffix)