provenu

Provenu is a French noun used primarily in legal and accounting language to denote the proceeds or revenue derived from an asset, property, or activity. It refers to the gross yield or receipts produced by sources such as real estate, investments, rents, royalties, or business operations, as distinct from net profit or recurring income. The term is commonly found in contracts, estate settlements, tax documents, and historical or formal financial records.

Etymology and sense: Provenu comes from Old French provenu, the past participle of provenir “to come forth,” itself from Latin provenire “to come forth, originate.” The sense developed to mean that which comes forth from a source, i.e., the yield or proceeds of a given asset or activity.

Usage and nuance: The term is relatively formal and somewhat archaic in contemporary everyday French, appearing mainly in legal, fiscal, or archival texts. It sits near produits (products, yields) and revenus (income) but pro­venu emphasizes the origin or source of the receipts rather than the ongoing flow of income. In English translations, provenu is often rendered as proceeds, revenue, or yield, depending on the context.

See also: produit, revenu, recettes, fruits (in civil-law contexts, “fruits” may be used to denote the yields of property).

In summary, provenu denotes the proceeds or yield realized from a source, used chiefly in formal or historical French legal and financial writing.