provenance

noun

prov·​e·​nance ˈpräv-nən(t)s 

ˈprä-və-ˌnän(t)s

1

: origin, source

2

: the history of ownership of a valued object or work of art or literature

Examples of provenance in a Sentence

Has anyone traced the provenances of these paintings?

The artifact is of unknown provenance.

Recent Examples on the Web

The company named consent, authenticity, provenance and IP protection as core principles. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 Oct. 2026

Anna Baldwin, an attorney for civil rights groups challenging the government’s demand, said the California list was of unknown provenance and inaccurate. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 27 Oct. 2026

The torah fragment lacks complete expert confirmation of its provenance. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 27 Oct. 2026

As in the Navier-Stokes controversy, this sequence of events shows how impenetrable the provenance of mathematical ideas is becoming. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from provenir to come forth, originate, from Latin provenire, from pro- forth + venire to come — more at pro-, come

First Known Use

1785, in the meaning defined at sense 1