prove
Syllabification: (prove)
Pronunciation: /pro͞ov/
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Definition of prove
verb ( past participle proved or proven /ˈpro͞ovən/)
Derivatives
- adjective
- noun
Pronunciation: /ˌpro͞ovəˈbilətē/
noun
Pronunciation: /-blē/
adverb
Origin:
Middle English: from Old French prover, from Latin probare 'test, approve, demonstrate', from probus 'good'
For complex historical reasons, prove developed two past participles: proved and proven. Both are correct and can be used more or less interchangeably: this hasn’t been proved yet; this hasn’t been proven yet. Proven is the more common form when used as an adjective before the noun it modifies: a proven talent (not a proved talent). Otherwise, the choice between proved and proven is not a matter of correctness, but usually of sound and rhythm—and often, consequently, a matter of familiarity, as in the legal idiom innocent until proven guilty.