purveyance means the act of purveying. It carries an Arena rating of 1376, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, purveyance ranks #2,813 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #5,430 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #8,104 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #8,279 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
Why “purveyance” is a great word
The act of procuring provisions, specifically the historical right of the English Crown to requisition goods and transport for the royal household. It derives from the Latin prōvidēntia ("foresight"), through Old French porveance ("provision, foresight"), into Middle English purveiaunce. Unlike "provision," a general term for supplying necessities, or "requisition," a broad compulsory demand, purveyance was the specific, galling feudal prerogative of the monarch's agents. It was the cart-horse taken from the muddy lane, the side of bacon removed from the smokehouse, and the wagon of grain diverted at the crossroads, all without full or timely payment—a mundane tyranny that turned foresight into a burden, feeding the machinery of state with the compelled labor of its subjects.
Etymology
From Middle English purveiaunce et al., from Anglo-Norman purveaunce.
noun
- The act of purveying.
- The prerogative of the Crown to static separation of duty with goods and services for royal use.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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