Origin and history of imprudent

early 15c., providen, "make provision for the future; arrange, plan; take care, relieve of needs, supply the needs of," from Latin providere "look ahead, prepare, supply, act with foresight," from pro "ahead" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward") + videre "to see" (from PIE root *weid- "to see"). Related: Provided; providing; providance ("act or condition of providing," by 1740). Earlier in same sense was its doublet purvey, which is from the same Latin verb, deformed in Old French (pourvoir).

No memory of having starred

Atones for later disregard,

Or keeps the end from being hard.

Better to go down dignified

With boughten friendship at your side

Than none at all. Provide, provide!

[Robert Frost, from "Provide, Provide"]

early 15c., "quality of rashness or heedlessness; imprudent act," from Old French imprudence (14c.) or directly from Latin imprudentia "lack of foresight, inconsiderateness, ignorance, inadvertence," abstract noun from imprudens "unaware, inconsiderate" (see imprudent).

word-forming element meaning "not, opposite of, without" (also im-, il-, ir- by assimilation of -n- with following consonant, a tendency which began in later Latin), from Latin in- "not," cognate with Greek an-, Old English un-, all from PIE root *ne- "not."

In Old French and Middle English often en-, but most of these forms have not survived in Modern English, and the few that do (enemy, for instance) no longer are felt as negative. The rule of thumb in English has been to use in- with obviously Latin elements, un- with native or nativized ones.