(a) Foresight; foreknowledge; foresightedness, prudence, wisdom; ben of god ~, to be prudent; ben of no ~, be improvident; (b) divine foreknowledge; divine providence or governance; heigh (heigh almighti) ~, God, Divine Providence; fatal ~, destiny, fate; goddes ~, ~ of god (jove), providence of God (Jove).

(a) A preliminary arrangement, preparation; ben purveiaunces to the gret sinnes, to be preliminaries to the great sins; maken ~, make preparations, prepare; (b) a plot, scheme; contrivance, device; gon a neue ~, ?to go in a different manner.

(a) The act of procuring or providing that which is necessary, esp. food, equipment, etc.; provisioning; also, the act or process of amassing possessions; (b) the act of requisitioning provisions for the royal household at a price set by the buyer; the right or prerogative of such requisition; -- also pl.; maken ~, to make requisition; (c) that which is needed or provided, as food, equipment, etc.; a supply or store of necessaries, provisions; also, a spiritual store; water ~, water rations, store of water; place of ~, repository, storehouse; purveiaunces of bodi, ?material provisions; ?error for penaunces of bodi; (d) a prospective supply; ben unseur of (withouten) ~, to be without prospects (for a lover or marriage); (e) maintenance, means of support; also, spiritual sustenance, spiritual maintenance; (f) maken ~, to procure or provide a supply of necessaries, furnish provisions; also fig.; maken ~ redi, prepare a supply, ready provisions; don maken ~, cause provisions to be procured or provided.

(a) Preparation for some future act or eventuality; a precautionary measure, precaution; ben of ~ to hiden, to take precaution to hide (sth.); (b) don (maken) ~, to make provision, take measures; maken ~ to clothen (feden, etc.), make provision to clothe (feed, etc.); maken ~ that, provide that (sb. do sth., sth. be done); maken me ~ of help, arrange to obtain help for myself; (c) management, supervision; attention; discretion; after the discrecioun and ~ of min executoures, according to the discretion and arrangement of my executours.

An assembly of people, a company; also, a military force, troops.

(a) A royal decree or commandment, an imperial edict; (b) law an ordinance, a statute; ~ of oxenford, the Provisions of Oxford, ordinances drawn up in 1258 at Oxford for the purpose of checking the king's misrule.