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

What was surprising, though, as Bloomberg noted at the time, was the lack of provenance details accompanying the auction listing. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 29 Oct. 2024

Museum collections, the Library of Congress, and scientific journals, databases, and projects increasingly use Local Contexts to credit Indigenous knowledge and provenance. —Bysandeep Ravindran, science.org, 24 Oct. 2024

Congress, meanwhile, should require generative AI companies to embed content with hard-to-remove watermarks and provenance information. —Mekela Panditharatne and Shanze Hasan, TIME, 21 Oct. 2024

For the cofounder, provenance is the critical aspect of Resonance One’s architecture. —Adriana Lee, WWD, 13 Sep. 2024

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