Standard Lemma guide

proviso

name · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /pɹəˈvaɪzoʊ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P R AH0 V AY1 Z OW0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A township in Cook County, Illinois, United States.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A conditional provision to an agreement.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a stipulated condition

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he accepted subject to one provision

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: provision

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: condition, precondition, stipulation

History

Etymology

Named for the Wilmot Proviso.

Borrowed from Latin proviso (“it being provided”), ablative singular neuter of provisus, past participle of providere (“to provide”); see provide.

Across languages

Translations

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: условие (uslovie) — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Bulgarian: уговорка (ugovorka) — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Chinese Mandarin: 但書 /但书 (dànshū) — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Dutch: voorbehoud — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Finnish: varaus — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Finnish: varauma — conditional provision to an agreement
  • French: provision (à un accord) — conditional provision to an agreement
  • French: réserve — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Galician: condición — conditional provision to an agreement
  • German: Bedingung — conditional provision to an agreement
  • German: Maßgabe — conditional provision to an agreement
  • German: Vorbehalt — conditional provision to an agreement
  • German: Vorbehaltsklausel — conditional provision to an agreement
  • German: Kautel — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Japanese: 但書 (tadashigaki) — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Norwegian: forbehold — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Polish: klauzula — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Russian: усло́вие (uslóvije) — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Russian: огово́рка (ogovórka) — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Scottish Gaelic: cùmhnant — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Scottish Gaelic: coingheall — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Serbo-Croatian: uvjet — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Serbo-Croatian: uslov — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Spanish: salvedad — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Swedish: förbehåll — conditional provision to an agreement
  • Swedish: reservation — conditional provision to an agreement