Where does “probation” come from?
Probation comes from Middle French probation, from Old French probacion, from Latin probatio (a testing or approval), derived from probare (to test, approve), rooted in probus (honest, worthy), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European per- and bʰuH-.
probation (English): A period of time when a person occupies a...
Definitions
- A period of time when a person occupies a...
Ancestry of “probation”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | probacioun | Investigation, testing; the employment of practical tests |
| 2 | Middle French | probation | — |
| 3 | Old French | probacion | — |
| 4 | Latin | probatio | test, trial, inspection, examination;... |
| 5 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 6 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 7 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 8 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 9 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 10 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 11 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |