Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PROV'EN-DER, n. [Fr. provende, provender; Norm. provender, a prebendary; provendre, a prebend; D. prove, a prebend; (qu. G. D. and Sw. proviant, provisions:) It. provianda, victuals; Ir. proantain, provender. The Italian provianda is probably composed of pro and vivanda, victuals, from vivere, L. vivo, to live, and from vivanda the French have viande, Eng. viand. Whether the French provende and Norm. provender are from the same source, may be doubted. The German proviant may be formed from the L. provideo, Sp. proveer, Port. provêr. Qu. L. proventus. It is said that provend, provender, originally signified a vessel containing a measure of corn daily given to a horse or other beast. But qu. N may be casual in provender, as in messenger, and the word may be from provideo.]

1. Dry food for beasts, usually meal, or a mixture of meal and cut straw or hay. In a more general sense, it may signify dry food of any kind. – Swift. Mortimer.
2. Provisions; meat; food. – Coxe. [Not used of food for man in New England.]