Etymograph

English

purvey

Purvey comes from Anglo-Norman purveer, from Latin provideō ‘to provide’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-1‘to see’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*widéh₁yeti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*widēō1‘to see’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvideō1‘to see’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprovideō2as prōvidēre‘to provide’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400porveeir2
  7. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400purveer2
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500purveyen2
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1485purvey2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin provideo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English purvey
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory: “A sayd the kynge / syn ye knowe of…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-Wiktionary, Latin provideo‘to see’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*widéh₁yetiWiktionary, Latin provideoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*widēōWiktionary, Latin provideo‘to see’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvideōWiktionary, Latin provideo‘to see’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprovideōWiktionary, English purveyas prōvidēre‘to provide’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400porveeirWiktionary, English purvey
  7. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400purveerWiktionary, English purvey
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500purveyenWiktionary, English purvey
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1485purveyWiktionary, English purvey. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory: “A sayd the kynge / syn ye knowe of…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’

story, guy, idea, advice, guide, witness, wise, historic, wisdom, advise, wit, idol, wizard, historian, witty, guise, visitation, steroid, tabloid, envious, envision, revue, improvise, druid, avis, twit, hypothyroidism, idyll, witter, hyperthyroidism, parathyroid, trapezoid, hyoid, colloid, weet, visite, sigmoid, thyroxine, thyroiditis, 90 more

through Proto-Indo-European *widéh₁yeti

providential, 12 more

through Proto-Italic *widēō ‘to see’

revision, invisibility, provident, vada, evidential, 14 more

through Latin videō ‘to see’

video, evidence, review, visit, interview, vision, visa, invisible, evident, providence, visibility, vista, revise, prudential, jurisprudence, vide, voyeur, invidious, 14 more

through Latin provideō ‘to provide’

provide, provision, prudent, prudence, proviso, purview, 9 more

Today it means

verb To prepare in advance (for or to do something); to plan, make provision.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “purvey”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin provideo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyd- / purvey

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