proviso
UK[prəˈvaɪzəʊ]US[prəˈvaɪzoʊ]
n
a condition that must be accepted before an agreement can be made.
n
a clause in a document making a condition, qualification, or restriction.
Morpheme Breakdown
pro
vis
o
pro
forward
vis
see
o
suffix
Etymology
The word 'proviso' entered English in the 15th century from the Medieval Latin phrase 'proviso quod', meaning 'it being provided that'. It is the ablative absolute form of the Latin verb 'providere', which is composed of 'pro-' ('ahead') and 'videre' ('to see'), thus literally meaning 'to foresee' or 'to provide for'. In legal contexts, this evolved into a stipulation or condition that is 'foreseen' and stipulated in advance. The modern English noun retains this sense of a specific condition attached to an agreement, reflecting the original notion of something seen and provided for beforehand.
Analysis
Structure: pro (forward) + vis (see) + o (suffix)
pro- (Latin prefix, meaning 'forward, forth, before'); vis (from Latin 'videre', meaning 'to see'); -o (a common noun-forming suffix in Latin and English, often used in legal/formal terms).
Examples
He agreed to the contract with the proviso that he could review the terms after one year.
The funding was approved, with the proviso that a detailed budget be submitted monthly.
She accepted the job offer, the only proviso being that she could work remotely two days a week.