Provenient

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Coming from a specific origin or place, such as a plant or object that has arrived from a known source
2. Describing something that issues or springs forth from a particular place or source of supply
3. Having its origin in a certain region, source or point from which it has been derived

Etymology: In Latin, "provenire" meant "to come forth" or "to arise," built from "pro-" ("forward" or "forth") and "venire" ("to come"). Its present participle, "proveniens," gave English an adjective for something that issues or comes from a source. The same Latin verb also produced the more familiar noun "provenance," which reached English through French, so the two words are close relatives that took different routes. The adjective stayed rare. It describes something that comes out of or arises from a particular origin, and it survives mainly in specialised or formal writing, where it sounds more precise than "coming from." Its shape also shows how English borrowed Latin participles directly, keeping the verb's sense of motion outward, as in the "forth" of "pro-."

Synonyms: originating, emanating