prove

Etymology 1

From Middle English proven, from Old English prōfian (“to esteem, regard as, evince, try, prove”) and Old French prover (“to prove”), both from Latin probō (“test, try, examine, approve, show to be good or fit, prove”, verb), from probus (“good, worthy, excellent”), from Proto-Indo-European *pro-bʰuH-s (“being in front, prominent”), from *pro-, *per- (“toward”) + *bʰuH- (“to be”). Displaced native Middle English sothen (“to prove”), from Old English sōþian (“to prove”). More at for, be, soothe.

verb

1. (transitive) To demonstrate that something is true or viable; to give proof for.
   [VV]e are able with playne demonſtration to proue, and vvith reaſon to perſvvade that in tymes paſt our fayth vvas alike, that then vve preached thinges correſpondent vnto the forme of faith already published of vs, ſo that none in this behalfe can repyne or gaynesay vs. 1577, Socrates Scholasticus [i.e., Socrates of Constantinople], “Constantinus the Emperour Summoneth the Nicene Councell, it was Held at Nicæa a Citie of Bythnia for the Debatinge of the Controuersie about the Feast of Easter, and the Rootinge out of the Heresie of Arius”, in Eusebius Pamphilus, Socrates Scholasticus, Evagrius Scholasticus, Dorotheus, translated by Meredith Hanmer, The Avncient Ecclesiasticall Histories of the First Six Hundred Yeares after Christ, Wrytten in the Greeke Tongue by Three Learned Historiographers, Eusebius, Socrates, and Euagrius. …, book I (The First Booke of the Ecclesiasticall Historye of Socrates Scholasticvs), imprinted at London: By Thomas Vautroullier dwelling in the Blackefriers by Ludgate, →OCLC, page 225
   Valentine’s Day means different things for different people. For Homer, it means forking over a hundred dollars for a dusty box of chocolates at the Kwik-E-Mart after characteristically forgetting the holiday yet again. For Ned, it’s another opportunity to prove his love for his wife. Most germane to the episode, for Lisa, Valentine’s Day means being the only person in her entire class to give Ralph a Valentine after noticing him looking crestfallen and alone at his desk. August 5, 2012, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “I Love Lisa” (season 4, episode 15; originally aired 02/11/1993)”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)
   WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets. They also exposed the blatant discrepancy between the west's professed values and actual foreign policies. 2013-06-07, Gary Younge, “Hypocrisy lies at heart of Manning prosecution”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 18
   I will prove that my method is more effective than yours.
2. (intransitive) To turn out; to manifest.
   It proved to be a cold day.
3. (copulative) To turn out to be.
   This battle did not take place in the streets. It took place entirely in words, and it was to prove the turning point in the war. 1964, Jean Merrill, The Pushcart War, 2014 The New York Review Children's Collection edition, chapter 33, page 199
   He met Luis Suarez's cross at the far post, only for Chelsea keeper Petr Cech to show brilliant reflexes to deflect his header on to the bar. Carroll turned away to lead Liverpool's insistent protests that the ball had crossed the line but referee Phil Dowd and assistant referee Andrew Garratt waved play on, with even a succession of replays proving inconclusive. May 5, 2012, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport
   Have an exit strategy should your calculations prove incorrect.
4. (transitive) To put to the test, to make trial of.
   They took the experimental car to the proving-grounds.
   The exception proves the rule.
   The hypothesis has not been proven to our satisfaction.
5. (transitive) To ascertain or establish the genuineness or validity of; to verify.
   to prove a will
6. (archaic, transitive) To experience.
7. (printing, dated, transitive) To take a trial impression of; to take a proof of.
   to prove a page
8. Alternative form of proof (“allow (dough) to rise; test the activeness of (yeast); pressure-test (a firearm)”)
9. (homeopathy) To determine by experiment which effects a substance causes when ingested.

noun

1. (baking) The process of dough proofing.
   You may also need to think about what the prove is doing to the loaf of bread — it is warming the dough and making it moist, allowing it to rise […] 2009, Paul Allam, David McGuinness, Bourke Street Bakery: the ultimate baking companion

Etymology 2

Simple past form of proove, conjugated as a Germanic strong verb, on the pattern of choose → chose.

verb

1. simple past of proove