providentia

Latin

Etymology

From prōvidēns (taking care, giving attention to; foreseeing) +‎ -ia. Compare prūdentia. Possibly coined by Cicero as a calque of Ancient Greek πρόνοια (prónoia).

Pronunciation

Noun

prōvidentia f (genitive prōvidentiae); first declension

  1. The ability to see something in advance; foresight, foreknowledge.
  2. Precaution, providence, forethought.

Declension

First-declension noun.

singular plural
nominative prōvidentia prōvidentiae
genitive prōvidentiae prōvidentiārum
dative prōvidentiae prōvidentiīs
accusative prōvidentiam prōvidentiās
ablative prōvidentiā prōvidentiīs
vocative prōvidentia prōvidentiae

Synonyms

Descendants

  • Middle French: pourvéance
    • French: pourvoyance, pourvéance (dialectal, Burgundy)
  • English: providence
  • French: providence
  • Italian: provvidenza
  • Portuguese: providência
  • Romanian: providență
  • Spanish: providencia
  • Old Irish: remcaisiu (calque)

References

  • providentia”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • providentia”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • "providentia", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • providentia in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.