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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."
Examples of provender in a Sentence
Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
No matter, the paucity of provender assured that no one would miss the arrival of King Jayme and Queen Jason.
—al, 20 Feb. 2020
This, combined with a burgeoning demand for local provender on the part of city restaurants, fertilized a revival of small-scale agriculture in the region.
—Bryan Miller, Town & Country, 8 Sep. 2013
Cite this Entry
“Provender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/provender. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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provender
noun
