Provisional
Etymology
From Latin “provisio,” a providing or foreseeing, from “providere,” to look ahead (the root of “provide” and “provision”). A provisional arrangement is one made as a stopgap while looking ahead to a settled version.
adjective · /pruh-VIZH-uh-nuhl/
Adopted for the present, subject to change once more is known or confirmed.
What it names
The deliberately temporary — a decision, government, or figure held in place only until something more final replaces it.
Example
They set a provisional launch date, knowing it would move once the supplier confirmed.
Related idea
A provisional thing is temporary, in place until replaced; a contingent thing is conditional, in place only if something else holds. One is about time; the other is about dependency.
See also