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Providence

The capital and largest city of Rhode Island, in the northeast part of the state on Narragansett Bay. It was founded by Roger Williams in 1636 as a haven for religious dissenters and became prosperous as a port in the 1700s. Providence was joint capital with Newport until 1900.

prov·i·dence

(prŏvĭ-dəns, -dĕns′)

1. Care or preparation in advance; foresight.

2. Prudent management; economy.

3. The care, guardianship, and control exercised by a deity; divine direction: "Some sought the key to history in the working of divine providence" (William Ebenstein).

4. Providence God.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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