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Provenance is an idea that shows up in multiple fields. I first encountered it in discussions of archeology. But then it showed up in, for example, https://www.ralfj.de/blog/2020/12/14/provenance.html discussing how improper handling of pointer provenance can cause code to get miscompiled.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provenance gives more on the term and the way it shows up.

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You'll hear the term provenance used quite a bit on PBS's long running Antiques Roadshow.

Provenance is also used in wine and art where a chain of custody, which the value largely hinges on, must be through trustworthy people or institutions.

More interestingly, both wine and art have had their provenance hinges widely exploited for massive profit while posh people think they're enjoying something exclusive.

This is how I came to know the term. I was a fan of the PBS weekend lineups during the 90s.

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