prove
pronunciation
How to pronounce prove in British English:
UK [pruːv]
How to pronounce prove in American English:
US [pruːv]
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- Verb:
- be shown or be found to be
- establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment
- provide evidence for
- prove formally; demonstrate by a mathematical, formal proof
- put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to
- increase in volume
- cause to puff up with a leaven
- take a trial impression of
- obtain probate of
Word Origin
- prove
- prove: [12] The ultimate source of prove was Latin probus ‘good’. This went back (like the related Sanskrit prabhu- ‘eminent, mighty’) to a prehistoric Indo-European compound *probhwo- ‘being in front’, hence ‘excelling’ (*promeant ‘in front’, and *bhwo- was the ancestor of English be). From it was derived the verb probāre ‘test, approve, prove’, which has given English approve, probable, probe, proof, reprobate, reprove, and of course prove, acquired via Old French prover. Another Latin derivative of probus was probitās ‘honesty’, from which English gets probity [16].=> approve, probable, probe, proof, reprobate
- prove (v.)
- late 12c., pruven, proven "to try, test; evaluate; demonstrate," from Old French prover, pruver "show; convince; put to the test" (11c., Modern French prouver), from Latin probare "to make good; esteem, represent as good; make credible, show, demonstrate; test, inspect; judge by trial" (source also of Spanish probar, Italian probare), from probus "worthy, good, upright, virtuous," from PIE *pro-bhwo- "being in front," from *pro-, extended form of root *per- (1) "forward, through" (see per), + root *bhu- "to be" (cognates: Latin fui "I have been," futurus "about to be;" Old English beon "to be;" see be). Related: Proved; proven; proving.
Synonym
Example
- 1. And she has the numbers to prove it .
- 2. Or ' could we prove invalidity of all these claims ? '
- 3. With a few exceptions , an oral agreement is enforceable but will often be hard to prove .
- 4. And that might prove very wise .
- 5. Moody 's conclusions may well prove to be accurate .