means A person or organization that supplies something needed — money, care, services, or goods — to someone who depends on them.

from From the Latin 'providere,' literally 'to see ahead' or 'foresee' (pro-, 'before,' plus 'videre,' 'to see') — the same root that gives us 'provident' and 'vision.' The original idea was about looking forward and preparing for what others would need, which is why a 'provider' once meant chiefly one who saw to the family's future. The modern sense of a faceless company that 'provides' your internet or insurance is a much later, drier descendant.