Where does “disprove” come from?
Disprove comes from Middle English disproven, from Old French desprover, which combined Old French prover (from Latin probare, meaning to assent to or approve) with the prefix ex-, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to separate and to grow or become.
disprove (English): To prove to be false or erroneous; to confute; to...
Definitions
- To prove to be false or erroneous; to confute; to...
Ancestry of “disprove”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | disproven | — |
| 2 | Old French | desprover | to deny; to disprove; to negate; to annul |
| 3 | Old French | prover | to prove |
| 4 | Latin | probāre | — |
| 5 | Latin | probō | to approve, permit, commend |
| 6 | Latin | Probus | good, serviceable, excellent, superior, able |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pro-bhwo- | being in front, prominent |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |