Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “épreuve” come from?

épreuve (French) comes from French éprouver, from Middle French esprouver, from Old French esprover, from Old French prover, from Latin probāre, from Latin probō, from Latin Probus, from Proto-Indo-European pro-bhwo- — passed , crossed.

épreuve (French): test; ordeal, trial; event, heat

Definitions

  1. test; ordeal, trial; event, heat

Ancestry of “épreuve”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchéprouverto test; to sense, to feel; to undergo a...
2Middle Frenchesprouverto verify; to check; to prove; to prove oneself,...
3Old Frenchesproverto prove; to prove oneself
4Old Frenchproverto prove
5Latinprobāre—
6Latinprobō—
7LatinProbus—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-bhwo-being in front, prominent
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
11Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →