provender
UK[ˈprɒvɪndə]US[ˈprɑːvɪndər]
n
Dry food for livestock, such as hay or grain.
n
Humorous or old-fashioned term for food.
Etymology
The word 'provender' entered Middle English from the Anglo-Norman provendre and Old French provende, meaning "allowance of food" or "prebend." These terms ultimately derive from the Late Latin praebenda, signifying "things to be supplied" or "allowance," which is a noun use of the gerundive of Latin praebere ("to offer, furnish"). The semantic journey is from the abstract concept of "that which is to be provided" in Latin to the very concrete meaning of "fodder" or "food supply" in English, later acquiring a humorous tone when applied to human sustenance.
Analysis
This word is a simplex loanword from Anglo-Norman and Old French. Its spelling and form were borrowed as a whole unit into Middle English, making segmentation into meaningful English substrings misleading.
Examples
The farmer stored ample provender in the barn for the winter months.
After the long journey, the travelers were grateful for some simple provender.
The stable boy's main duty was to ensure the horses had fresh water and provender.