Provine Pro·vine" intransitive verb [ French provingner , from provin a set, layer of a plant, Old French provain , from Latin propago , -aginis , akin to propagare to propagate. See Propagate , Prune , transitive verb ] To lay a stock or branch of a vine in the ground for propagation. [ Obsolete] Johnson.

Provision Pro·vi"sion noun [ Latin provisio : confer F. provision . See Provide .] 1. The act of providing, or making previous preparation. Shak.

2. That which is provided or prepared; that which is brought together or arranged in advance; measures taken beforehand; preparation.

Making provision for the relief of strangers.

Bacon.

3. Especially, a stock of food; any kind of eatables collected or stored; -- often in the plural.

And of provisions laid in large,
For man and beast.

Milton.

4. That which is stipulated in advance; a condition; a previous agreement; a proviso; as, the provisions of a contract; the statute has many provisions .

5. (R. C. Ch.) A canonical term for regular induction into a benefice, comprehending nomination, collation, and installation.

6. (Eng. Hist.) A nomination by the pope to a benefice before it became vacant, depriving the patron of his right of presentation. Blackstone.

Provision Pro·vi"sion transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Provisioned ; present participle & verbal noun Provisioning .] To supply with food; to victual; as, to provision a garrison.

They were provisioned for a journey.

Palfrey.

Provisional Pro·vi"sion·al adjective [ Confer French provisionnel .] Of the nature of a provision; serving as a provision for the time being; -- used of partial or temporary arrangements; as, a provisional government; a provisional treaty.

Provisionally Pro·vi"sion·al·ly adverb By way of provision for the time being; temporarily. Locke.

Provisionary Pro·vi"sion·a·ry adjective Provisional. Burke.

Proviso Pro·vi"so noun ; plural Provisos . [ Latin , (it) being provided, abl. of provisus , past participle of providere . See Provide , and confer Purview .] An article or clause in any statute, agreement, contract, grant, or other writing, by which a condition is introduced, usually beginning with the word provided ; a conditional stipulation that affects an agreement, contract, law, grant, or the like; as, the contract was impaired by its proviso .

He doth deny his prisoners,
But with proviso and exception.

Shak.

Provisor Pro·vi"sor noun [ Latin , from providere : confer French proviseur . See Provide .] 1. One who provides; a purveyor. [ Obsolete] "The chief provisor of our horse." Ford.

2. (R. C. Ch.) (a) The purveyor, steward, or treasurer of a religious house. Cowell. (b) One who is regularly inducted into a benefice. See Provision , 5. P. Plowman.

3. (Eng. Hist.) One who procures or receives a papal provision. See Provision , 6.

Provisorily Pro·vi"so·ri·ly adverb In a provisory manner; conditionally; subject to a proviso; as, to admit a doctrine provisorily . Sir W. Hamilton.

Provisorship Pro·vi"sor·ship noun The office or position of a provisor. [ R.] J. Webster.

Provisory Pro·vi"so·ry adjective [ Confer French provisoire .] 1. Of the nature of a proviso; containing a proviso or condition; conditional; as, a provisory clause.

2. Making temporary provision; provisional.

Provocation Prov`o·ca"tion noun [ French provocation , Latin provocatio . See Provoke .] 1. The act of provoking, or causing vexation or, anger. Fabyan.

2. That which provokes, or excites anger; the cause of resentment; as, to give provocation . Paley.

3. Incitement; stimulus; as, provocation to mirth.

4. (Law) Such prior insult or injury as may be supposed, under the circumstances, to create hot blood, and to excuse an assault made in retort or redress.

5. An appeal to a court. [ A Latinism] [ Obsolete] Ayliffe.

Provocative Pro·vo"ca·tive adjective [ Latin provocativus : confer Old French provocatif .] Serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate; exciting.

Provocative Pro·vo"ca·tive noun Anything that is provocative; a stimulant; as, a provocative of appetite.

Provocativeness Pro·vo"ca·tive·ness noun Quality of being provocative.

Provocatory Pro·vo"ca·to·ry adjective Provocative.

Provokable Pro·vok"a·ble adjective That may be provoked.

Provoke Pro·voke" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Provoked ; present participle & verbal noun Provoking .] [ French provoquer , Latin provocare to call forth; pro forth + vocare to call, from vox , vocis , voice, cry, call. See Voice .] To call forth; to call into being or action; esp., to incense to action, a faculty or passion, as love, hate, or ambition; hence, commonly, to incite, as a person, to action by a challenge, by taunts, or by defiance; to exasperate; to irritate; to offend intolerably; to cause to retaliate.

Obey his voice, provoke him not.

Ex. xxiii. 21.

Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath.

Eph. vi. 4.

Such acts
Of contumacy will provoke the Highest
To make death in us live.

Milton.

Can honor's voice provoke the silent dust?

Gray.

To the poet the meaning is what he pleases to make it, what it provokes in his own soul.

J. Burroughs.

Syn. -- To irritate; arouse; stir up; awake; excite; incite; anger. See Irritate .

Provoke Pro·voke" intransitive verb 1. To cause provocation or anger.

2. To appeal. [ A Latinism] [ Obsolete] Dryden.

Provokement Pro·voke"ment noun The act that which, provokes; one who excites anger or other passion, or incites to action; as, a provoker of sedition.

Drink, sir, is a great provoker of three things.

Shak.

Provoking Pro·vok"ing adjective Having the power or quality of exciting resentment; tending to awaken passion or vexation; as, provoking words or treatment. -- Pro*vok"ing*ly , adverb

Provost Prov"ost noun [ Old French provost (L. prae and pro being confused), French prevôt , from Latin praepositus placed before, a chief, from praeponere to place before: confer Anglo-Saxon prāfost , prōfast . See Preposition , and confer Propound .] 1. A person who is appointed to superintend, or preside over, something; the chief magistrate in some cities and towns; as, the provost of Edinburgh or of Glasgow, answering to the mayor of other cities; the provost of a college, answering to president; the provost or head of certain collegiate churches.

2. The keeper of a prison. [ Obsolete] Shak.

» In France, formerly, a provost was an inferior judge who had cognizance of civil causes. The grand provost of France , or of the household , had jurisdiction in the king's house, and over its officers.

Provost marshal (often pronounced ...). (a) (Mil.) An officer appointed in every army, in the field, to secure the prisoners confined on charges of a general nature. He also performs such other duties pertaining to police and discipline as the regulations of the service or the commander's orders impose upon him. (b) (Nav.) An officer who has charge of prisoners on trial by court-martial, serves notices to witnesses, etc.

Provostship Prov"ost·ship noun The office of a provost.

Prow Prow noun [ French proue (cf. Spanish & Portuguese proa , Italian prua ), Latin prora , Greek ..., akin to ... before. See Pro- , and confer Prore .] The fore part of a vessel; the bow; the stem; hence, the vessel itself. Wordsworth.

The floating vessel swum
Uplifted, and secure with beaked prow
rode tilting o'er the waves.

Milton.

Prow Prow noun See Proa .

Prow Prow adjective [ Compar. Prower ; superl. Prowest .] [ Old French prou , preu , French preux , from Latin pro , prod , in prodesse to be useful. See Pro- , and confer Prude .] Valiant; brave; gallant; courageous. [ Archaic] Tennyson.

The prowest knight that ever field did fight.

Spenser.

Prow Prow noun [ Middle English & Old French prou . See Prow , adjective ] Benefit; profit; good; advantage. [ Obsolete]

That shall be for your hele and for your prow .

Chaucer.

Prowess Prow"ess noun [ Old French proece , proesce , French prouesse . See Prow , adjective ] Distinguished bravery; valor; especially, military bravery and skill; gallantry; intrepidity; fearlessness. Chaucer. Sir P. Sidney.

He by his prowess conquered all France.

Shak.

Prowl Prowl transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Prowled ; present participle & verbal noun Prowling .] [ Middle English prollen to search about; of uncertain origin, perhaps for proglen , a dim. of prog to beg, or proke to poke. Confer Proke .] 1. To rove over, through, or about in a stealthy manner; esp., to search in, as for prey or booty.

He prowls each place, still in new colors decked.

Sir P. Sidney.

2. To collect by plunder; as, to prowl money. [ Obsolete]

Prowl Prowl intransitive verb To rove or wander stealthily, esp. for prey, as a wild beast; hence, to prey; to plunder.

Prowl Prowl noun The act of prowling. [ Colloq.] Smart.

Prowler Prowl"er noun One that prowls. Thomson.

Prowling Prowl"ing adjective Accustomed to prowl, or engaged in roving stealthily, as for prey. "A prowling wolf." Milton. -- Prowl"ing*ly , adverb

Prox Prox noun [ Confer Proxy .] "The ticket or list of candidates at elections, presented to the people for their votes." [ Rhode Island] Bartlett.

Proxene Prox"ene noun [ Confer ...; ... before + ... a guest, stranger: confer French proxène .] (Gr. Antiq.) An officer who had the charge of showing hospitality to those who came from a friendly city or state.

Proxenet Prox"e·net noun [ Latin proxeneta , Greek ....] A negotiator; a factor. [ R.] Dr. H. More.

Proxenetism Prox`e·ne"tism noun [ Greek ... agent + -ism ; confer French proxénétisme .] The action of a go-between or broker in negotiating immoral bargains between the sexes; procuring.

Proximad Prox"i·mad adverb [ Proximal + Latin ad to.] (Anat.) Toward a proximal part; on the proximal side of; proximally.

Proximal Prox"i·mal adjective 1. Toward or nearest, as to a body, or center of motion of dependence; proximate.

2. (Biol.) (a) Situated near the point of attachment or origin; as, the proximal part of a limb. (b) Of or pertaining to that which is proximal; as, the proximal bones of a limb. Opposed to distal .

Proximally Prox"i·mal·ly adverb (Anat.) On or toward a proximal part; proximad.

Proximate Prox"i·mate adjective [ Latin proximatus , past participle of proximare to come near, to approach, from proximus the nearest, nest, superl. of propior nearer, and prope , adverb , near.] Nearest; next immediately preceding or following. " Proximate ancestors." J. S. Harford.

The proximate natural causes of it [ the deluge].

T. Burnet.

Proximate analysis (Chemistry) , an analysis which determines the proximate principles of any substance, as contrasted with an ultimate analysis . -- Proximate cause . (a) A cause which immediately precedes and produces the effect, as distinguished from the remote , mediate , or predisposing cause. I. Watts. (b) That which in ordinary natural sequence produces a specific result, no independent disturbing agencies intervening. -- Proximate principle (Physiol. Chem.) , one of a class of bodies existing ready formed in animal and vegetable tissues, and separable by chemical analysis, as albumin, sugar, collagen, fat, etc.

Syn. -- Nearest; next; closest; immediate; direct.

Proximately Prox"i·mate·ly adverb In a proximate manner, position, or degree; immediately.

Proxime Prox"ime adjective [ Latin proximus . See Proximate .] Next; immediately preceding or following. [ Obsolete]

Proximious Prox·im"i·ous adjective Proximate. [ Obsolete]

Proximity Prox·im"i·ty noun [ Latin proximitas : confer French proximité See Proximate , and confer Propinquity , Approach .] The quality or state of being next in time, place, causation, influence, etc.; immediate nearness, either in place, blood, or alliance.

If he plead proximity of blood
That empty title is with ease withstood.

Dryden.

Proximo Prox"i·mo [ Latin , on the next, abl. of proximus next.] In the next month after the present; -- often contracted to prox. ; as, on the 3d proximo .

Proxy Prox"y noun ; plural Proxies . [ Contr. from procuracy . Confer Proctor .] 1. The agency for another who acts through the agent; authority to act for another, esp. to vote in a legislative or corporate capacity.

I have no man's proxy : I speak only for myself.

Burke.

2. The person who is substituted or deputed to act or vote for another.

Every peer . . . may make another lord of parliament his proxy , to vote for him in his absence.

Blackstone.

3. A writing by which one person authorizes another to vote in his stead, as in a corporation meeting.

4. (Eng. Law) The written appointment of a proctor in suits in the ecclesiastical courts. Burrill.

5. (Eccl.) See Procuration . [ Obsolete]

Proxy Prox"y intransitive verb To act or vote by proxy; to do anything by the agency of another. [ R.]

Proxyship Prox"y·ship noun The office or agency of a proxy.

Proöstracum Pro·ös"tra·cum noun ; plural Proöstraca . [ New Latin , from Greek ... before + ... shell of a testacean.] (Zoology) The anterior prolongation of the guard of the phragmocone of belemnites and allied fossil cephalopods, whether horny or calcareous. See Illust. of Phragmocone .

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