I. ˈprävədən(t)s also -d ə n- or -ˌden- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin providentia, from provident-, providens (present participle of providēre to foresee, provide, provide for) + -ia -y — more at provide
1. often capitalized
a. : divine guidance or care
the notion of the detailed providence of a rational personal God — A.N.Whitehead
b. : an act or instance of such guidance or care
a special providence in the fall of a sparrow — Shakespeare
2. : the quality or state of being provident or of exercising foresight : prudence , thrift
the intellectual providence to acquire … vast stores of dry information — Walter Bagehot
the peasant in his traditional providence — Bernard Pares
3.
a. usually capitalized : one who exercises providential power
b. capitalized : God conceived as that ultimate reality whose sustaining power and ordering activity provide continual guidance over the matters of human destiny
a redeeming Providence presides over the rise and fall of civilizations — S.P.Cadman
Synonyms: see prudence
II. adjective
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: from Providence, Rhode Island
: of or from Providence, the capital of Rhode Island
a Providence silversmith
: of the kind or style prevalent in Providence