Definition
The term “provenance” originates from the Latin verb “provenire,” meaning “to come forth,” “originate,” or “arise from.” Traditionally, provenance has been used extensively in disciplines such as art, archaeology, and history to document and verify the origins, custody, and ownership of artifacts, artworks, and documents.
Provenance in computing and data science
In the context of computing and data systems, the adoption of the term “provenance” began to gain prominence from the late 20th century onward. It became widely used in disciplines involving data management, databases, scientific computing, and data security, referring explicitly to the ability to systematically track and record the lineage of data—its origin, evolution, and transformations throughout a workflow or lifecycle.
The formal adoption of provenance in computing was significantly influenced by research efforts in the early 2000s, notably by projects such as: