pro·vi·sion
(prə-vĭzh′ən)n.1. a. The act of providing or supplying something: the provision of health care; the provision of rations.
b. The act of making preparations for a possible or future event or situation: The provision for retirement requires planning.
2. a. Something provided: A fire escape is an important provision in a building.
b. provisions Necessary supplies, such as food and clothing, as for a journey.
3. A preparatory action or measure: We must make provisions for riding out the storm.
4. A particular requirement in a law, rule, agreement, or document: the constitutional provision concerned with due process.
v. pro·vi·sioned, pro·vi·sion·ing, pro·vi·sions
v.tr. To supply with provisions.
v.intr. To take preparatory action or measures: A bank must provision against losses from bad loans.
[Middle English, from Old French, forethought, from Latin prōvīsiō, prōvīsiōn-, from prōvīsus, past participle of prōvidēre, to foresee, provide for; see provide.]
pro·vi′sion·er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Provisions
a supply of necessaries or materials; a stock or store.Examples: provision of bread, 1535; of nuts and acorns, 1796; of stewards, 1486; of words, 1690.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.