purveyor
(pəˈveɪə(r))
Forms: see below.
[a. AF. purveür, -our, = OF. por-, pur-, pour-, proveor, -veour, -v(e)eur, -voieor (13th c. in Godef.), in mod.F. pourvoyeur, agent-n. from OF. porveeir, mod.F. pourvoir: see purvey v. and -or. The forms in pro- were assimilated to L. prōvidēre. Orig. stressed purveˈour, whence ˈpurveour, ˈpurvior; later conformed to purvey as purˈveyor.]
A. Illustration of Forms.
α1 4 purveür, -vaour, 4–5 pur-, pourveˈour.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 4607 (Cott.) Do gett þe a god purueur [F. puruaour, G. purueour]. a 1300 [see B. 1]. 1390 Pourveour [see B. 3]. 1448 Purueour [see B. 1]. |
α2 4 porveyˈour, purveyowr, -va(y)our, 4–7 -veyour, -e, 5–7 -veiour, -e, -veior, (7 pourveyour, -veyor), 6– purˈveyor.
| 1340 Ayenb. 100 He ys uader, he is diȝtere and gouernour and porueyour to his mayne. c 1375 Cursor M. 4337 (Fairf.) Joseph þat noble puruayour. a 1430 Ibid. 11003 (Laud) Right was that the purveyoure Shuld come by-fore the Sauyoure. 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 287 Pompeius beeyng declared in woordes & in title the purveiour of corne. 1572 in Feuillerat Revels Q. Eliz. (1908) 164 As the purveior compounded. 1585 Abp. Sandys Serm. on Matt. xxi. 12 §13 God is no purueyor for theeues and robbers. 1653 Holcroft Procopius ii. 64 The Pourveyor of the expence of the army. 1658 Phillips, Pourveyour,..an Officer of the King, or other great personage. |
α3 4–5 ˈpurvyour, 5 -viowre, 5–6 -viour, 6 vior, Sc. -vyar.
| 1399 Langl. Rich. Redeles iv. 13 To paie þe pore peple þat his puruyours toke, withoute preiere at a parlement. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 417/2 Purviowre, provisor, procurator. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VI 161 Like a spedy purvior, whiche slacketh not tyme. 1569 Nottingham Rec. IV. 132 Gevyn..to the Quen of Scottes purvyar ij s. |
β. 4 purvayer, 5–7 -veier, -veyer, 7 pur-, pourvoyer.
| c 1375 Cursor M. 13208 (Fairf.) For-þi is he calde cristis puruayer. c 1449 Purueier [see B. 2]. 1579–80 North Plutarch, Marius (1895) III. 217 Purveyer for all necessarie provision. 1600 J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa ii. 81 They haue certaine Caters and purueiers among them. 1666 J. Davies Hist. Caribby Isles 186 The Carribbians were as it were the Pourvoyers of the French. 1683 Apol. Prot. France iv. 27 His Purvoyer could find no room for him in the Castle. |
γ. 4–5 provyour, -wyour, -weour, -wour, -uour, -wor, -wer.
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xix. 255 My prowor & my plowman Piers shal ben on erthe [v.rr. proweour, pourveour, prowyour; 1393 C. xxii. 260 prowour, prouour]. 1387 Provyour [see B. 1]. c 1449 Pecock Repr. iv. viii. 468 Crist..oure beest prower ordeyned al that was best for us to haue. |
B. Signification.
† 1. One who makes preparation or prearrangement; a manager, director, steward. Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 4337 (Cott.) Joseph, þat was god purueur [v.rr. -uayour, -ueour] A dai he went in to þe bour. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VIII. 147 As it were to þe comoun provyour of alle [L. communi cunctorum provisori]. 1448 Hen. VI in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) I. 378 For .ij. purueours either of theym at .vj.d. by day. |
2. One who procures or supplies anything necessary, or something specified, to or for others.
In commercial use; One who makes it his business to provide or supply victuals, etc., esp. one who provides luncheons, dinners, etc., on a large scale or for a large number; also in such denominations as ‘Purveyor to their Majesties’, or ‘to the Royal Household’, ‘Universal Purveyor’, etc.
| 1340 [see A. α2]. c 1449 Pecock Repr. 468 The wijsist purueier and tendirist louer. 1570–6 Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 461 This man served the parson as Purveyour of his poultrie. 1635 Quarles Embl. v. vi. 14 (1718) 269, I love the sea; she is my fellow-creature, My careful purveyor: she provides me store. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 312 The Spaniard..was their guide himself, and their purveyor also. 1815 W. H. Ireland Scribbleomania 127 b, Mr. Allingham has not proved himself an indolent purveyor for the dramatic corps. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 240 A shoe⁓maker, or perhaps some other purveyor to our bodily wants. 1891 Daily News 15 July 3/3 Mr. Morton moved to reduce the vote by 50l. allowance to the purveyor of luncheons. |
b. An official charged with the supply of requisites or of some necessary to a garrison, army, city, or the like; † in quots. 1787–91 an officer who provided timber for the navy (obs.).
| 1475 Bk. Noblesse (Roxb.) 68, I fynde by hys bokes of hys purveours how yn every castelle, forteresse, and cyte or towne he wolde hafe grete providence of vitaille. 1601 Holland Pliny I. 175 To heare of the Treasurer and purveiour generall of the armie in Armenia. 1787 G. White Selborne i, The oaks of Temple and Blackmoor stand high in the estimation of purveyors, and have furnished much naval timber. 1791 Gilpin Forest Scenery ii. 22 Besides these ancient officers of the forest, there is one of later institution... He is called the purveyor, and is appointed by the commissioner of the dock at Portsmouth. His business is to assign timber for the use of the navy. 1809 Wellington Let. 13 Dec. in Gurwood Desp. V. 365 The usual allowances, which the Purveyor General of the British Army will pay. 1868 E. Edwards Ralegh I. xii. 232 Both Essex and Ralegh acted as purveyors of the fleet. 1883 Fortn. Rev. July 122 The Purveyor-in-Chief was to furnish everything required for the hospital service. |
3. A domestic officer who made purveyance of necessaries, lodging, transport, and the like for the sovereign (king's purveyor or queen's purveyor), or for some other great personage. Also transf. one who exacts supplies or contributions. Now Hist.
| [1360 Act 36 Edw. III, c. 2 Que le heignous noun de purveour soit chaunge & nome achatour.] 1390 Gower Conf. II. 194 He is overal A pourveour and an aspie. 1399 [see A. α3]. 14.. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 581/17 Exactor, a Puruyour. c 1440 Jacob's Well 189 As a purveyour goth be-forn to takyn an jn for his mayster. a 1592 Greene Jas. IV iii. ii, I must needes haue your maisters horses... I am the Kings Purueyer, and I tell thee I will haue them. 1656 Blount Glossogr., Purveyor, an Officer of the King or other great Personage, that provides Corn and other Victual for the house of him whose Officer he is. 1821 Scott Kenilw. xxv, The Queen's purveyors had been abroad, sweeping the farms and villages of those articles usually exacted during a royal Progress. 1875 Stubbs Const. Hist. II. xvi. 415 The hated name of purveyor was [1360] to be exchanged for that of buyer. |
Hence purˈveyoress, a female purveyor.
| 1611 Cotgr., Pourvoyeuse, a Prouideresse, or Purueyeresse. |