▪ I. prove, v.
(pruːv)
Forms: α. prove, etc.; β. preove, preve, etc.: see below. Inflected proved, proving; Pa. pple. also (orig. in Sc. legal use) proven.
[a. OF. prove-r (11th c. in Littré), in mod.F. prouver = Pr. proar, Sp. probar, Pg. provar, It. probare:—L. probāre to test (a thing) as to its goodness, to try; to approve; to make good, prove, demonstrate; f. prob-us good. In OF. the Lat. o when unstressed became o, later ou (probāre, prover; so provant, prové, provons), but in the stressed syllable, ue (oe, eo, ē), later eu (probat, prueve, later preuve), as in the n. preuve proof. In modern F. all forms of the verb are levelled under ou (prouver, prouve). In ME. the two OF. inflexional types gave origin to two concurrent forms of the vb., prove and preove, preve. In Standard Eng. prove alone survives; preve is seldom found after 1500, but was usual in literary Scotch, and still exists (written preeve, prieve, preave, preeave) in Sc. and north. Eng. dialects. Cf. the parallel phonetic history of move v. The pa. pple. proven, orig. Sc., from preve, follows the strong vbs., e.g. cleave, cloven, weave, woven.]
A. Illustration of Forms.
1. Present stem.
(α) 2–3 prouwe, 2–7 proue, (3 proui, -y, y-proue), 4–5 prof, profe, 4–6 north. dial. and Sc. pruve, prufe, prowe, 5 Sc. pruff, 5–6 prouve, proufe, 6 (prooeyve), Sc. pruiff, proife (pa. pple. prute), 6–7 prooue, proove, (7 proov), 5– prove.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 17 He..prouwede deð for al moncun. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 93 Proue ech man him seluen. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 12632 Com to morn, & prof [v.r. proue] þy day. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 99 He perceyved and i-proved þe deceyvynge of Edrik. c 1400 Destr. Troy 11665 As prouit is of old. 1472 Presentm. Juries in Surtees Misc. (1888) 23 It may be prowyd. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. (Rolls) III. 363 As it mycht weill be prute [rime mute]. 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 181 b, Alexander in prouvyng maisteries would not bee matched but with kynges. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 222 b, Prophecyes, wherof the ende prooued some trewe. 1576 Lichfield Gild Ord. (E.E.T.S.) 27 Prooeyvinge the saide supplycacion. 1599 Chapman Hum. Dayes Myrth Wks. 1873 I. 71 You are come to tempt and proove at full the spirit of my wife. c 1600 Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae 1235 Experience can proife. 1652 Gataker Antinom. 13 Such..arguments proov nothing. |
(β) 3–5 preoue, 4–5 proeue, -ve, prefe, 4–6 preue, preve, 4–8 prieve, 5–6 pref, preiue, preif, prewe, 6 preaue, pryve, Sc. preiff, prief, 7 (8 Sc.) prive. See also the contracted form pree.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 182 Hwon heo is ipreoued hit seið:..Vor al so preoueð God his icorene. c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. v. pr. iii. 120 (Camb. MS.) Ne I ne proeue nat thilke same reson. c 1386 ― Merch. T. 994 Thexperience so preueth euery daie. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 88 Which in som cas upon believe Stant more than thei conne prieve. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xii. 39 And putteþ forþ presompcions to preouen þe sothe. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 412/2 Prevyn, or provyn. a 1450 Cursor M. 5374 (Fairf.) Wele ys him has hap to prefe. c 1450 tr. De Imitatione i. xiii. 14 Ffire preueþ golde. c 1470 Henryson Mor. Fab. iv. (Fox's Confess.) xvii, Or heid, or feit, or paynchis let me preif. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. (Rolls) I. 12 Nane be so pert to prewe..Of thair awin blude to mak ane king agane. 1596 Spenser F.Q. vi. xii. 18 Her countenaunce and her likely hew..do surely prieve That yond same is your daughter. c 1600 Scot. Poems 16th C. (1801) II. 186 Priests, prief you men. 1634 S. R. Noble Soldier i. ii. in Bullen O. Pl. I. 272 To prive thy sonne,..Spaines heire Apparant. a 1758 Ramsay Masque 184 Skink 't up, and let us prive. |
2. pa. pple. Illustration of the form proven (also 6 -in). (Properly in passive.) Now common in the U.S.
| c 1536 Nisbet New Test. in Scots (S.T.S.) III. 335 It is evidently knawin ande cleirly provin. 1633 W. Struther True Happines 8 When a number serveth not necessitie, all are proven to be weak. 17.. Erskine's Princ. Sc. Law (1890) 598 A verdict of ‘not proven’ is allowable—and common—in Scotland, and involves acquittal and dismissal from the bar. 1818 R. P. Knight Symbolic Lang. (1876) 175 Some who had proven themselves prolific. 1828 Landor Imag. Conv., Wolfgang & Henry of Melctal Wks. 1846 I. 317/1 Did not this same..man..call thee a felon? not having proven thee such. 1846 M{supc}Culloch Acc. Brit. Empire (1854) II. 225 A verdict of Not Proven indicates suspicion, but a want of proof of guilt. 1850 Gladstone Glean. (1879) V. 224 Whatever can be proved from his mouth..may be regarded as proven a fortiori. 1872 Tennyson Gareth & Lynette 1390 Being after all their foolish fears..only proven a blooming boy. 1899 Allbutt's Syst. Med. VI. 247 It is generally assumed..; but this is by no means proven. 1916 Nat. Real Estate Jrnl. (U.S.) 15 Mar. 110/2 Time has proven the jurisdiction of our creation for we have advanced with a knowledge and better understanding of ourselves and our profession. 1927 E. O'Neill Marco Millions ii. i. 106, I believe that what can be proven cannot be true. 1931 C. Kelly U.S. Postal Policy iv. 81 How little he understood the will of the American people is proven by their unyielding demand for this service. 1934 Dict. Amer. Biogr. XIV. 531/1 He had already proven himself a bold operator in various speculative fields. 1943 W. Roughead Art of Murder 131 Our national nostrum, ‘Not Proven’..a verdict which has been construed by the profane to mean ‘Not Guilty, but don't do it again’. 1944 Scots Mag. Aug. 387 That his volume had a very large circulation for some generations is proven from a statement quoted by Stevenson. 1957 B. & C. Evans Dict. Contemp. Amer. Usage 399/1 The participle proven is respectable literary English. In the United States it is used more often than the form proved. In Great Britain proved is used more often and proven sounds affected to many people. 1959 I. Epstein Judaism xviii. 201 This doctrine of resurrection..cannot be proven philosophically. 1963 L. Hughes in Liberator July 4/1 Savages have proven a point. 1971 Sci. Amer. July 5 (Advt.), The MGB's 1798 c.c. twin-carb engine is proven time and again in competition. 1976 Brit. Jrnl. Sociol. XXVII. 315 Many of its specific predictions have been proven wrong by the course of events over the last century. 1979 Economist 11 Aug. 74/1 If it means a form (or rather, forms) of involvement that seem profitable to employees and employers alike, both can be proven right. 1980 Daily Tel. 18 Mar. 15/3 As yet..chloracne is the only disorder proven to result from human contact with olioxin. |
B. Signification. I. To make trial of, try, test.
1. a. trans. To make trial of, put to the test; to try the genuineness or qualities of; to try, test. arch. exc. in technical uses (see b, etc.).
| c 1200 [see A. 1 α]. a 1225 [see A. 1 β]. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 9373 Þis noblemen..Þat in armes iproued beþ binorþe & bisouþe. a 1300 Cursor M. 8115 (Cott.) Þe might o þam þou latt vs proue. 1382 Wyclif Jas. i. 3 The prouyng of ȝoure feith werchith pacience. c 1440 Alphabet of Tales 43 How þe fadir taght his son for to prufe his frende. 1526 Tindale John vi. 6 This he sayde to prove hym, For he hym sylfe knewe what he wolde do. 1585 Jas. I Ess. Poesie (Arb.) 27 No flesh nor bone Can preif the honnie we from Pinde distill. 1611 Bible 1 Thess. v. 21 Proue [Wyclif 1382 prove, 1388 preue ȝe, Rhem. prooue, Tindale to Geneva examen] all things: hold fast that which is good. 1704 Oldmixon Blenheim xxii, In vain they prove again the bloody Field. 1807 Wordsw. White Doe iii. 340 Nor did he turn aside to prove His Brothers' wisdom or their love. 1867 Froude Short Stud., Crit. & Gosp. Hist. (ed. 2) 160 To prove all things—to try the Spirits whether they be of God. [The prevailing use in Bible of 1611 (34 instances) and retained in Revised Version 1881–85.] 1881 ‘Mark Twain’ Prince & Pauper xxv. 198 He seized Miles by the arm, dragged him to the window, and began to devour him from head to foot with his eyes..stepping briskly around him and about him to prove him from all points of view. |
b. To subject to a testing process (any natural, prepared, or manufactured substance or object).
| a 1340 Hampole Psalter xi. 7 Syluyre examynd in fire, proued of þe erth, purged seuenfald. 1428 Surtees Misc. (1888) 1 Þat metaill..whilk was proved and founden fals. 14.. Ibid. 61 All maner of mesurys..schall be schewed and prevyd. 1502 W. Atkynson tr. De Imitatione i. xvii. 165 As golde is proued in the fournes. 1720 Mrs. Manley Power of Love (1741) 328 He saw a Gentleman cheapning and proving Swords. 1788 J. May Jrnl. & Lett. (1873) 50 This afternoon I proved my rifle-gun. 1872 Routledge's Ev. Boy's Ann. 135 The monster cannon now only requires to be vented and proved. |
c. Arith. To test the correctness of (a calculation). Also intr. in pass. sense.
Sometimes understood in sense 5.
| 1806 Hutton Course Math. I. 15 There are three different ways of proving Multiplication. Ibid. 16 Multiplication is also very naturally proved by Division. 1862 Temple Bar Mag. VI. 542 My friend's moral arithmetic was wrongly squared, and wouldn't prove. |
d. Mining. (See quot. 1883.)
| 1839 Murchison Silur. Syst. i. viii. 124 The coal has been proved, if not worked out, under every part of it. 1869 Trans. N.Z. Inst. II. 368 At Coromandel..the [gold-bearing] lodes have been ‘proved’ to a depth of over 300 feet from the surface. 1883 Gresley Gloss. Coal Mining, Prove,..to ascertain by boring, driving, etc., the position and character of a coal seam, a fault, &c... To examine a mine in search of fire⁓damp, &c., known as proving the pit. 1883 J. Bradshaw N.Z. as it was & Is xii. 178 In the Coromandel and Thames gold⁓fields, reefs have been ‘proved’ to a depth of over 600 feet below the sea level. 1978 Nature 6 Apr. p. xix/1 The Steeple Aston Borehole (1970–1971) proved Jurassic, Upper Coal Measures, Upper Devonian and igneous intrusive rocks. 1979 Jrnl. R. Soc. Arts Jan. 84/2 Figure 1 shows the extent of the coalfield under the land and also shows that about 10 kilometres of coal measures under the sea have been proven. |
e. To take a proof impression of (composed type or an electro- or stereotype plate).
| 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) XV. 590/1 [The engraver] proved a plate in different states, that he might ascertain how far his labours had been successful. 1847 Nat. Encycl. I. 958 The plate is..sent to the printer to prove. |
f. Homœopathy. [tr. G. prüfen (Hahnemann).] To give (a drug) to healthy persons to ascertain the symptoms it produces.
| [1833 C. H. Devrient tr. Hahnemann's Organon of Healing Art 216 Employ those medicines whose pure effects have been proved upon a healthy person in the manner best suited to the cure of diseases homœopathically.] 1843 Brit. Jrnl. Homœopathy I. 160 It is essential that a preparation precisely similar to that proved should be always employed. 1910 Encycl. Brit. XIII. 645/2 To ascertain the curative virtues of any drug it must be ‘proved’ upon healthy persons—that is, taken by healthy individuals of both sexes in a state of health in gradually increasing doses. 1974 Homoeopathy June/July 93, I got Nelsons to potentise fulmar oil, and I wanted it proved, but no one would cooperate. |
g. intr. Of dough: to become aerated by the fermentation of yeast prior to baking; to rise. Also of yeast: to cause such aeration.
| 1854 C. Tomlinson Cycl. Useful Arts I. 181/1 The whole of the flour is..left about an hour..to prove. 1854 A. E. Baker Gloss. Northamptonshire Words & Phrases II. 139 In making a cake, if it rises well, ‘it proves well’. A baker will often say ‘It is good yeast, it proves so well’. 1909 Mrs. Beeton Cookery Bk. (new ed.) 265/2 Knead well, and leave dry, cover over with a clean cloth, and let it prove for 1½ hours. 1911 Jack & Strauss Woman's Bk. 214/2 After shaping the loaves, place them on a baking-sheet..and set them to prove for fifteen or twenty minutes. 1923 W. G. R. Francillon Good Cookery (ed. 2) xxi. 386 Currant loaf... Set to prove. Then bake in a quick oven for about fifteen minutes. 1959 Woman 14 Mar. 21/1 Put the dough to rise and prove in a warm but not too hot place. 1972 Guardian 30 June 11/3 Form the dough into a ball... Cover with a clean cloth and stand in a warm place to prove. |
† 2. intr. To make a trial (of something), esp. by tasting; to taste (of). Cf. pree v. Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 3656 Þou bidd him rise þar-of to proue. 1552 Lyndesay Monarche 1113 Geue thay of that tre had preuit, Perpetuallye thay mycht haue leuit. 1622 R. Hawkins Voy. S. Sea (1847) 36 Some of my company proved of them, and they caused vomits and purging. |
3. trans. To find out, learn, or know by experience; to have experience of, to experience, ‘go through’, suffer; also with compl., to find by experience (a person or thing) to be (something). Cf. approve v.1 9. arch.
| c 1175 [see A. 1 α]. a 1300 Cursor M. 4383 If i liue þou sal me proue An iuel freind to þi be-houe. 1509 Barclay Shyp of Folys (1874) I. 228 That thoughe a man had hym delyvered than The same peryll wolde he have proved agayne. 1588 Allen Admon. 10 Other inconueniences which they had proued, and mighte easely fall againe. 1662 Cokaine Tragedy of Ovid v. ii, I may prove The like sad destiny Clorina did, Should I become your Wife. 1738 Wesley Ps. ii. xiii, They only shall his Mercy prove. 18.. M. Arnold Farewell x, In the world I learnt, what there Thou too wilt surely one day prove, That will, that energy, though rare, Are yet far, far less rare than love. |
† 4. a. To try, endeavour, attempt, strive. Usually const. with inf., also with if, whether, how, and. Cf. approve v.1 8. Obs.
| c 1330 Amis & Amil. 347 Euer he proued with nithe and ond, To bring him into care. 1382 Wyclif Rom. xv. 26 Forsoth Macedonye and Achaye proueden for to make sum collacioun. c 1400 Sowdone Bab. 183, I shall prove with al my myghte To breke there bothe spere and shelde. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 304, I sall preif the morne..To bring Coillis to the Court. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 6 He wyl proue and do the best he can to make the same decree and his questions to accorde. 1600 Holland Livy xxiii. xix. 487 They within the towne were driven..to plucke off the lether from their shields & bucklers, and make them soft in skalding water, and prove [conari] how they could eat them. a 1610 Parsons Leicester's Ghost (1641) 13, I did also prove To winne their handmaids. |
† b. intr. or absol. To set oneself to do something; to try, strive, essay. Obs. rare.
| 1612 Drayton Poly-olb. A j, From any example, either of ancient or modern, that have proved in this kind. a 1659 Osborn Observ. Turks Wks. (1673) 272 Yet he proved against this inconvenience, with as much caution as a by-past error is capable to admit. |
II. To make good, establish.
5. trans. To establish (a thing) as true; to make certain; to demonstrate the truth of by evidence or argument. (The subject may be a person, a fact, evidence, etc.)
In this sense the Sc. pa. pple. proven is often used, esp. in the verdict ‘Not proven’, which is admitted, besides ‘Guilty’ and ‘Not guilty’, in criminal trials in Sc. Law. See examples in A. 2.
a. With subord. cl., or obj. and compl.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 68 So þet þe witnesse ne preoue heom ualse. c 1230 Hali Meid. 23 Ha is an hundred degrez ihehet toward heuene hwil ha meidenhad halt, as þat frut preoueð. c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 95/98 I-chulle proui þat he ne miȝte a-liue beo. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 259 Þat ooth was i-preved untrewe. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 218 Here is I-prowid that the sowle sueth the condycionys of the bodyes. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 101 b, He went about also to proue hym selfe a Germayne. 1594 R. Ashley tr. Loys le Roy 63 b, Thother goeth about to proue that the world is eternall. 1715 De Foe Fam. Instruct. Introd., I shall take up no time in proving this matter to be a duty. 1874 Green Short Hist. iii. §5. 137 Able as he proved himself, his task was one of no common difficulty. 1885 Law Times Rep. LIII. 60/2 The plaintiff and the surveyor proved that the I.C.U. carried proper lights. |
b. with simple obj.
| c 1320 R. Brunne Medit. 18 Y wyl no þyng seye But þat ys preued by crystes feye. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame ii. 300 Who so seyth of trouthe I varye Bid hym proven the contrarye. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 345 As it fil afterward þe soþe was i-preoved. 1428 in Surtees Misc. (1888) 4 Any thyng agayne ye kynges pease yat myght be proved apon hym lawfully. 1551 T. Wilson Logike (1580) 33 An example is a maner of argumentation, where one thyng is proued by an other. 1605 Camden Rem. 33 If they should be forced to prooue descent. 1681 J. Flavel Meth. Grace ix. 186 A thousand witnesses cannot prove any point more clearly than one testimony of conscience doth. 1782 G. Selwyn in 15th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. vi. 563 The endeavour to prove too much has made more Atheists than any book wrote on purpose to establish Infidelity. 1837–8 Sir W. Hamilton Logic xxvi. (1866) II. 39 To prove, is to evince the truth of a proposition not admitted to be true, from other propositions the truth of which is already established. 1844 Mrs. Browning Lady Geraldine's Courtship lxx, When my footstep proved my coming. |
c. to fend and prove: see fend v. 2. d. to prove too much, to pursue an argument too far; to establish by argument a proposition so inclusive as to yield unhelpful results.
| 1791 J. Mackintosh Vindiciæ Gallicæ iv. 215 To this I answer, first, that such reasoning will prove too much, and that, taken in its proper extent, it impeaches the great system of morals, of which political principles form only a part. 1801 T. Jefferson Let. 9 Sept. in Koch & Peden Life T. Jefferson (1944) 565 It may be objected that this proves too much, as it proves you cannot enter the ship of a friend to search for contraband of war. 1870 J. H. Newman Gram. of Assent vi. 153 The theory to which I have referred cannot be carried out in practice. It may be rightly said to prove too much. 1893 ‘L. Carroll’ Sylvie & Bruno Concluded iii. 41 But surely that involves the logical fallacy of proving too much? |
6. To show the existence or reality of; to give demonstration or proof of by action; to evince.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 1077 Proued was son his sari pride. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxx. (Theodera) 186 Scho went on to pref hir arte. c 1500 Lancelot 3476 No man shall eschef Frome yhow this day, his manhed for to pref. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 105 Ev'ry Knight is proud to prove his Worth. 1872 Morley Voltaire i. (1886) 2 They should prove their love of him whom they had not seen, by love of their brothers whom they had seen. |
7. a. To establish the genuineness or validity of (a thing or person); to show to be such as is asserted or claimed.
| 1517 R. Torkington Pilgr. (1884) 41 The holy crosse was provyd by resyng of a Dede man. 1531 in Sel. Cas. Crt. Requests (1898) 33 Your seid Orator hath noo especyaltie ne wrytyng prouyng the seid contracte. 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. v. iii. 365 It is very hard to prove a Witch. 1866 Neale Seq. & Hymns 89 If the purple proves the King. |
b. spec. To establish the genuineness and validity of (a will); to obtain probate of.
| 1439 Rolls of Parlt. V. 22/1 By the seid Testament yet nought proeved. 1521 in Bury Wills (Camden) 120 Item in expenses..o{supr} the will cowd be proved. 1609 B. Jonson Sil. Wom. v. iii, You can proue a Will, master Doctor, you can proue nothing else. 1726 S. Sewall Diary 28 Mar., I prov'd Elder Preston's Will. 1818 Cruise Digest (ed. 2) II. 435 The heir's joining would supply the want of proving the will. 1885 Whitaker's Alm. 421 One [executor] alone is competent to prove a will and carry out its provisions. |
c. refl. To evince proof of one's abilities or prowess.
| 1961 She Mar. 38 But no one could help him, in his agonising struggle to save them—and prove himself. 1964 Harper's Mag. Dec. 95/1 A third such student, Caesar, came from a Latin-American country where a man is expected to prove himself by having many affairs, and a mistress after marriage. 1973 Times 1 Dec. 13/6 You have to prove yourself to your father, don't you? |
8. intr. for refl. To show itself to be (something); to be shown or found by experience or trial to be (so and so); to turn out (to be). a. with complement (n., adj., or infin. phr.).
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 704 Wel nyȝe pure paradys moȝt preue no better. 1447 Shillingford Lett. (Camden) 101 Which offence preveth to be done by the consent [etc.]. 1551 T. Wilson Logike (1580) 73 A ragged Colte maie proue a good horse. 1584 R. Scot Discov. Witchcr. x. vi. (1886) 147 Dreames proove contrarie. 1596 Spenser F.Q. iv. xi. 35 If old sawes prove true. 1617 Moryson Itin. ii. 83 One accident, that might have proved of great consequence. a 1680 Butler Rem. (1759) I. 65 For Things said false, and never meant, Do oft prove true by accident. 1789 W. Buchan Dom. Med. (1790) 285 When the disease proves violent. 1823 Scoresby Jrnl. Whale Fish. 107 The land..nearest to us was Wollaston Foreland, which, by my late surveys, proves to lie in latitude 74° 25{p}. 1870 Tyndall Lect. Electr. 1 This gas when collected proves to have the specific gravity of hydrogen. |
b. With adv. or advb. phrase, as to prove well (obs. or dial.), to turn out well; now only with such advbs. as how, so, otherwise.
| 1447 Shillingford Lett. (Camden) 119 So hit proveth by the seide boke of Domesdey. c 1460 J. Metham Wks. (E.E.T.S.) 146 Howe the yere schuld preue, afftyr that Crystmes day fallyth vpon ony day off the weke... Qwydyry[t] schuld preue fayr or foule. 1575–85 Abp. Sandys Serm. (Parker Soc.) 327 Such marriages seldom or never prove well. 1648 Gage West Ind. 79 Ships which have proved as well at sea, as those that are made in Spain. 1695 Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) III. 482 Engineer Richards has proved the..new invented mortars, which proved to admiration. 1794 Smeaton Edystone L. §98 In case the weather should be then in our favour; but it proving otherwise, we returned to Plymouth. a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia s.v., ‘How did that beast prove?’ is a question often asked of the butcher by the farmer. 1886 C. Scott Sheep-Farming 157 Breeders are beginning to understand that it is to their interest to have their sheep prove well. |
† c. to prove well: to be well seen, to be evident. Obs. rare.
| c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 547 (Harl. MS.) Ful big he was of braun and eek of boones, That preuede wel, for ouer al þer he cam At wrastlynge he wolde bere away þe Ram. 1470–85 Malory Arthur x. viii. 425 He is a grete enemy to alle good knyghtes, and that preueth wel, for he hath chaced oute of that Countrey syr Tristram. |
9. To come to be, become, grow. arch.
| 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 3 This Thomas..went..after to Paris, and proued best learned of al men in his time. 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 136 Neither..will other races in that soile proue blacke. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 814 To Birds their Native Heav'ns contagious prove, From Clouds they fall, and leave their Souls above. 1842 Tennyson Ld. of Burleigh 66 Then her countenance all over Pale again as death did prove. |
† 10. intr. To turn out well; to prosper; to thrive; to succeed. Obs.
| c 1386 Chaucer Can. Yeom. Prol. & T. 659 Ye shul se wel thanne How þat oure bisynesse shal thryue & preeue. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 415/2 Provyn, or chevyn, prosperor. 1543 Act 35 Hen. VIII, c. 17 §1 Standils or Storers, likely to prove and to be Timber-trees. ? a 1550 Hye Way to Spyttel Ho. 690 in Hazl. E.P.P. IV. 55 Inholders that lodge hoores and theues, Seldon theyr getyng ony way preues. 1578 Lyte Dodoens i. xxvi. 39 Orpyne proueth wel in moyst shadowy places. 1604 E. Hake No Gold, No Goodnesse in Farr S.P. Jas. I (1848) 255 Nothing proves where gold is skant. 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 376 All the Eggs laid under one Hen do not always prove. |
† 11. trans. = approve v.1 6. Obs.
| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 337 Kyng William his dedes,..[beeþ] worþy to be i-preved. c 1400 Destr. Troy 4942 Part of þat pepull prouyt hit for wit. 1545 T. Forster Disc. in Tytler Hist. Scot. (1864) III. 33 He thinketh that that adventure would be proved; for he saith..the cardinal is..smally beloved in Scotland. |
12. prove up. a. To adduce or complete the proof of right to (something); spec. to show that one has fulfilled the legal conditions for taking up (a grant of government land), so that a patent may be issued. Also absol. N. Amer.
| 1867 A. D. Richardson Beyond Mississippi xi. 138 He does not see the land again until ready to ‘prove up’ which he may do after thirty days. Then he revisits his claim. 1878 J. H. Beadle Western Wilds ii. 43 My wife proved up on her Cherokee blood. 1890 L. D'Oyle Notches 49 As I had advertised to prove up, I persuaded him to stay a week longer..and be one of my witnesses. 1892 Harper's Mag. June 95/2 As they ‘prove up’ those claims in the fulness of time, each will get her one hundred dollars. 1893 Kansas Hist. Coll. (1896) V. 91 ‘Money to loan to prove up’ was the device on many a little board building. 1921 Daily Colonist (Victoria, B.C.) 11 Mar. 12/5 Proved up, with hard work, a wild and forest covered homestead. 1958 J. G. MacGregor North-West of 16 v. 67 They also had to bring fifteen acres under cultivation and to erect some sort of abode. (Carrying out these obligations and getting title to the land was termed ‘proving up’.) 1963 G. H. Thomson Crocus Country xix. 124 The homesteaders, however, were obliged to fence so many acres before they could ‘prove up’ or be given the patent to their land. 1969 Islander (Victoria, B.C.) 16 Nov. 12/2 Mr. James Foulds, widower, proved up on his homestead..in 1910 or thereabouts. 1977 New Yorker 11 July 37/2 He tried to educate people in the responsibilities of living on public estate, so they could stay within the rules, legalize their occupancy, prove up. |
b. = sense 1 d. Also absol. orig. N. Amer.
| 1921 Daily Colonist (Victoria, B.C.) 13 Oct. 2/4 Several claims staked up and down the channel from the discovery have proved up in a similar manner. 1926 Ibid. 17 Jan. 35/5 The richest mineralization that has been proved up in the whole district. 1975 Offshore Aug. 87/2 The company is aiming to prove up about 20 trillion cubic feet of the fuel to justify an initial transmission line to southern markets. 1977 Bulletin (Sydney) 22 Jan. 42/1 It frequently takes as much as 10 to 12 years from an initial discovery to prove up a viable mine, arrange finance and forward sales-contracts. |
13. prove out. To establish (something) as correct or workable; to test (a system or process) exhaustively. Also intr. for refl. orig. U.S.
| 1959 Wall St. Jrnl. 13 May 14/2 Fishermen are pondering the commercial possibilities of pollock... If pollock proves out, the trawlers could stay closer to U.S. shores. 1964 D. F. Galouye Counterfeit World xii. 98 Of all the metaphysical concepts..mine was the only one open to final verification. It could be proved out conclusively. 1967 Electronics 6 Mar. 28 (Advt.), We'll run a sufficient number of samples to prove out the process. 1969 Daily Mail 15 Jan. 5/7 The Moon is a convenient body on which to prove out our systems and programmes. 1972 Daily Tel. (Colour Suppl.) 10 Nov. 10/1 A duration of 50 to 60 hours was required really to prove out the plane. 1976 N. Thornburg Cutter & Bone iv. 102 If your hundred-to-one chance proves out, and Wolfe actually is the one. |
▪ II. † prove, n. Obs. rare.
[f. prove v.: cf. obs. F. prouve a probe (1549 in Godef.), also proof n. 15 a.]
A surgeon's probe.
| 1541 R. Copland Guydon's Quest. Chirurg. L iv, The maner to take theym [seames] of is to put the tayle of the proue vnder the fyst, & to cut the threde of the sayd tayle of the proue, and in puttynge the flat of the proue aboue the lyppe wherby y⊇ threde is drawen out, for drede of dyuydynge the wounde. |