probate

From Middle English probate, from Latin probatus, past participle of probare (“to test, examine, judge of”); see probe, prove.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɹəʊbeɪt/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹəʊbɪt/, /ˈpɹəʊbət/
• Rhymes: -əʊbeɪt

probate (countable and uncountable, plural probates)

1. (law) The legal process of verifying the legality of a will.
   • 1981 December 1, Micheline Justman, “Man Defends Erie Gay Will”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 20, page 15:

     The probate file reveals that Stephen Tetuan, attorney for the estate and author of McBride's will, wrote to Lemieux on Auust 29, 1984, encouraging him "to serve as trustee and to retain local counsel to represent your interests as trustee."

2. (law) A copy of a legally recognised and qualified will.
3. Clipping of probate court.
4. (obsolete) Proof.
   • a. 1529, John Skelton, Garlande of Laurell:

     Macrobius that did trete
     Of Scipions dreme what was the treu probate

probate (third-person singular simple present probates, present participle probating, simple past and past participle probated)

1. (transitive) To establish the legality of (a will).

• probe
• probation
• prove

• “probate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “probate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

probate

1. inflection of probat:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

probāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of probō

probate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of probar combined with te