prov

v. t. To supply with provender or provisions; to provide for. [ Obs. ] Nash. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Provided for common or general use, as in an army; hence, common in quality; inferior. “A poor provant rapier.” B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Proved p. pr. & vb. n. Proving. ] [ OE. prover, F. prouver, fr. L. probare to try, approve, prove, fr. probus good, proper. Cf. Probable, Proof, Probe. ] 1. To try or to ascertain by an experiment, or by a test or standard; to test; as, to prove the strength of gunpowder or of ordnance; to prove the contents of a vessel by a standard measure. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou hast proved mine heart. Ps. xvii. 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To evince, establish, or ascertain, as truth, reality, or fact, by argument, testimony, or other evidence. [ 1913 Webster ]

They have inferred much from slender premises, and conjectured when they could not prove. J. H. Newman. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To ascertain or establish the genuineness or validity of; to verify; as, to prove a will. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To gain experience of the good or evil of; to know by trial; to experience; to suffer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Where she, captived long, great woes did prove. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Arith.) To test, evince, ascertain, or verify, as the correctness of any operation or result; thus, in subtraction, if the difference between two numbers, added to the lesser number, makes a sum equal to the greater, the correctness of the subtraction is proved. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Printing) To take a trial impression of; to take a proof of; as, to prove a page. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To try; verify; justify; confirm; establish; evince; manifest; show; demonstrate. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To make trial; to essay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To be found by experience, trial, or result; to turn out to be; as, a medicine proves salutary; the report proves false. “The case proves mortal.” Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

So life a winter's morn may prove. Keble. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To succeed; to turn out as expected. [ Obs. ] “The experiment proved not.” Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. provectus, p. p. of provehere to carry forward. ] Carried forward; advanced. [ Obs. ] “Provect in years.” Sir T. Flyot. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. provectio an advancement. ] (Philol.) A carrying forward, as of a final letter, to a following word; as, for example, a nickname for an ekename. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ It. proveditore, provveditore, fr. provedere, L. providere. See Provide, and cf. Purveyor, Provedore. ] One employed to procure supplies, as for an army, a steamer, etc.; a purveyor; one who provides for another. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Sp. proveedor. See Proveditor. ] A proveditor; a purveyor. [ 1913 Webster ]

Busied with the duties of a provedore. W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]