prove

Where does the word "prove" come from? It comes from Latin probare, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Prove’s story begins in Latin: probare meant “to test, to approve.” The root of 'probe', 'probation' and 'probable'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as prover. Carried into French for demonstrating the truth of something. It reached English by 1200s as prove. Settled as the English word for demonstrating that something is true. Today, prove means to demonstrate the truth or existence of something with evidence.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient probare "to test, to approve", the root of 'probe', 'probation' and 'probable'.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval prover "to demonstrate the truth of something", carried into French for demonstrating the truth of something.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s prove "to demonstrate that something is true", settled as the English word for demonstrating that something is true.