Etymograph

English

probe

Probe comes from Latin probare ‘to test, examine, prove’, from probus ‘good’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pro-bʰH-wó-s ‘being in front’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pro-bʰH-wó-s1‘being in front’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*proβos1‘favourable’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprobus2‘good’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprobare2‘to test, examine, prove’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1827probe2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin probus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English probe
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1827, Henry Hallam, London: John Murray: “the growing disposition to probe the legality of all…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pro-bʰH-wó-sWiktionary, Latin probus‘being in front’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*proβosWiktionary, Latin probus‘favourable’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprobusWiktionary, English probe‘good’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprobareWiktionary, English probe‘to test, examine, prove’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1827probeWiktionary, English probe. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1827, Henry Hallam, London: John Murray: “the growing disposition to probe the legality of all…”

The story

For verb: borrowed from Latin probare (‘to test, examine, prove’), from probus (‘good’). For noun: borrowed from Late Latin proba (‘a proof’), from probare (‘to test, examine, prove’); Doublet of proof.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *pro-bʰH-wó-s ‘being in front’

proof, probation, probable, probate, probative, 2 more

through Proto-Italic *proβos ‘favourable’

improve, approve, probability, approbation, 8 more

through Latin probus ‘good’

prove, probity

Today it means

noun Any of various medical instruments used to explore wounds, organs, etc.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “probe”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin probus. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pro-bʰH-wó-s / probe

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