prove
UK[pruːv]US[pruːv]
v
To use evidence or arguments to show that something is true or exists.
v
To show a particular quality or ability over a period of time.
linking verb
To be found to be something, especially after testing or examination.
Etymology
The verb 'prove' originates from the Latin 'probāre', meaning "to test, demonstrate, or make good." This Latin term itself stems from 'probus', meaning "good, virtuous, or genuine," which is believed to have Proto-Indo-European roots related to being upright or favorable. The word traveled into English through the Anglo-Norman French 'prover' around the 12th century. Its core semantic journey moved from the concrete sense of testing something to establish its goodness or genuineness, to the modern abstract sense of establishing truth or validity through evidence or demonstration.
Analysis
The word 'prove' is a simplex form derived from the Latin root 'probāre'. It entered English as a whole unit via Anglo-Norman French.
Examples
The experiment failed to prove the initial hypothesis.
She proved herself to be a capable leader during the crisis.
The old document proved invaluable to the historians' research.