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provenance
PROV-uh-nunss
- 01Understand
- 02Hear
- 03Distinguish
- 04See it used
- 05Choose how it lands
The recorded history of where something came from and who owned or handled it.
It asks where something came from and whose hands it passed through, in one word that assumes the answer should be written down.
Origin is where a thing started. Provenance is the recorded chain of hands since, which is what makes the origin believable.
work“Before we quote that figure, I want the provenance of the spreadsheet it came from.”
conversation“The chair is lovely and it has no provenance, which is why it was affordable.”
public life“The photograph was real. Its provenance was the part nobody could establish.”
A colleague circulates a striking statistic with no source and it is about to go into a client deck.
Meaning held still: Stop the number being used until its source is known.
“I like the number. I want its provenance before it goes in front of a client.”
It lands as: Sets one clear condition and implies the standard is normal rather than aimed at them.
Tradeoff: The word can sound like a formal audit for what is probably a two minute check.“Where did this come from originally? If we can link it, it is the strongest line in the deck.”
It lands as: Makes sourcing the number an upgrade rather than an obstacle.
Tradeoff: The encouragement may produce a link to another deck that also has no source.“Happy to include it once we can cite it.”
It lands as: One sentence, no argument, and the condition is unmistakable.
Tradeoff: It offers no help, so a busy colleague may simply drop a good statistic.Watch for: Provenance is the record, not the quality. A well documented provenance can belong to an unremarkable object, and a remarkable one can have none.
First met in The Weight of an Empty Frame. Saving keeps that example with the word.