Where does “prove” come from?
Prove comes from Old French prover, from Latin probare meaning "to assent to" or "to approve," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH-.
prove (English): To demonstrate that something is true or viable;...
Definitions
- To demonstrate that something is true or viable;...
Ancestry of “prove”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | proven | — |
| 2 | Old French | prover | to prove |
| 3 | Latin | probāre | — |
| 4 | Latin | probō | — |
| 5 | Latin | Probus | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pro-bhwo- | being in front, prominent |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
Words derived from “prove”