disprove

Where does the word "disprove" come from? It comes from Latin probare, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Disprove’s story begins in Latin: probare meant “to test, to prove.” To test, to prove, combined with dis- (not). By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as desprover. Carried into French for showing something to be false, from dis- and prover. It reached English by 1300s as disprove. Settled as the English word for showing that something is false. Today, disprove means to show that a claim, theory, or statement is false.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient probare "to test, to prove", to test, to prove, combined with dis- (not).
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval desprover "to show something to be false", carried into French for showing something to be false, from dis- and prover.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s disprove "to show that something is false or wrong", settled as the English word for showing that something is false.