Etymograph

English

prove

Prove comes from Old English prōfian, from Latin probō ‘to test, prove’, from probus ‘good’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pro-bʰuH-s ‘being in front’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pro-bʰuH-s1‘being in front’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprobus1‘good, excellent’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprobō1‘to test; to approve’
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*prōbōn2reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150prōfian1‘to esteem; to test, prove’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500proven1
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1577prove1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English prove
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old English profian
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1577, Socrates Scholasticus [i.e., Socrates of Constantinople]: “[VV]e are able with playne demonſtration to proue, and…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pro-bʰuH-sWiktionary, English prove‘being in front’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprobusWiktionary, English prove‘good, excellent’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprobōWiktionary, English prove‘to test; to approve’
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*prōbōnWiktionary, Old English profianreconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150prōfianWiktionary, English prove‘to esteem; to test, prove’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500provenWiktionary, English prove
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1577proveWiktionary, English prove. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1577, Socrates Scholasticus [i.e., Socrates of Constantinople]: “[VV]e are able with playne demonſtration to proue, and…”

A compound of *pro- ‘toward’ + *bʰuH- ‘to be’

Proto-Indo-European *pro- ‘toward’

Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- ‘to be’

Word family

English words that share an ancestor with prove, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.

through Latin probus ‘good, worthy, excellent’

through Latin probō ‘test, try, examine, approve, show to be good or fit, prove’

13 more relatives in the full family tree

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Today it means

verb To demonstrate that something is true or viable; to give proof for; to bear out; to testify.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “prove”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Old English profian. 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-bʰuH-s / prove