How to Use provenance in a Sentence

provenance

noun
Definition of provenancenext
  • Has anyone traced the provenances of these paintings?
  • The artifact is of unknown provenance.
  • Of course, single malt is not the provenance of Scotland alone.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 15 Mar. 2022
  • There is some mystery surrounding the provenance of Princess Anne’s copy of the brooch.
    — Jennifer Newman, Town & Country, 17 May 2022
  • Throughout the art world, the provenance of certain pieces is always top of mind.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 22 Aug. 2023
  • But the provenance of some of the more alarmist Biden-is-feeble memes, many of them built on raw footage of a few stumbles, is murky.
    — Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2024
  • In the wider scope of history, the ponytail’s precise provenance is a bit hazy.
    — Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 27 June 2023
  • Once mainly the provenance of the US, killer drones have now spread widely to both state and non-state actors.
    — Joshua Keating, Vox, 18 Sep. 2024
  • In the front seat is William, an assistant at CAA whose provenance is a bit of a mystery.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 7 July 2021
  • Spencer contacted experts around the world in a bid to find out more about its provenance.
    — Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 15 Dec. 2021
  • The agreement comes just months after the Met announced a push to hire more provenance researchers.
    — Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Sep. 2023
  • Most luthiers are wise to this and many strive to be mindful of the provenance of their raw materials.
    — Ellen Ruppel Shell, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2022
  • This seems very similar to the provenance of the concert stage today.
    — Lynn Whidden, Scientific American, 26 July 2024
  • The provenance of both Forbes and Allen could reasonably have been expected to add to the value of the letter.
    — New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2024
  • The fact that most come via the resale market—and have murky provenance as a result—makes Waller even warier.
    — Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2024
  • Yet there are no plaques or requests in the museum on the provenance of art stolen from Benin, a country in West Africa.
    — Jessica Ferri, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2023
  • For the metal wall sculpture, the lack of provenance greatly lowers the value.
    — oregonlive, 31 May 2022
  • But it’s the fiber’s provenance that makes this shirt (and all of Free Fly’s apparel) sustainable.
    — Rachel Walker, Washington Post, 14 July 2022
  • Flags are priced based on size, quality, and provenance.
    — Anne Quito, Quartz, 6 Mar. 2022
  • In this case, your Genta NFTs will serve as a record of ownership and proof of provenance for each design.
    — Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 21 Dec. 2021
  • The provenance research is to be published on the foundation’s website.
    — Catherine Hickley, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2023
  • Hubris is still the provenance of the arrogant assumption.
    — Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2024
  • Value for your print, with the handwritten provenance, would be $45.
    — Brenda Yenke, cleveland, 5 May 2022
  • The 13-year-old rye is a change of pace from the first two Cascade Moon releases, both of which were blends of whiskeys of different provenance and age.
    — Tony Sachs, Robb Report, 7 Dec. 2021
  • Save the provenance to pass along to family, with any other items from his service!
    — Brenda Yenke, cleveland, 10 Aug. 2023
  • The name nods to the leading theory of its provenance: Sonora, the Mexican state just across the border.
    — J. J. Goode, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2023
  • As for its provenance, their cryptic mothers must at least be a partial source.
    — Claire Messud, Harper’s Magazine , 18 Jan. 2022
  • With that love story also having a bit of a creative provenance, as far as these things go.
    — Andy Meek, BGR, 22 Dec. 2021
  • Its provenance and journey from the desert to Montana six decades ago and now to Jerusalem remain nebulous.
    — Ilan Ben Zion, ajc, 7 Sep. 2022
  • Terry’s wife, Tanya, cut the meat with an ulu, a knife with a semicircular blade and a handle that is the sole provenance of women.
    — Devi Lockwood, Wired, 21 Sep. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'provenance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: