approve

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To officially sanction; to ratify; to confirm; to set as satisfactory.
  2. To regard as good; to commend; to be pleased with; to think well of.
  3. To make proof of; to demonstrate; to prove or show practically.
  4. To consider worthy (to); to be pleased (with); to accept.
  5. To show to be worthy; to demonstrate the merits of.
verb
  1. To make profit of; to convert to one's own profit — said especially of waste or common land appropriated by the lord of the manor.

Pronunciation

ə-pro͞ovʹ /əˈpɹuːv/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Mélange a trois-approve.wav

Word forms

approve approves approving approved no-table-tags glossary approvest approvedst approveth approven

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *pér Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *pró Proto-Indo-European *pro-der. Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH-der. Proto-Italic *proβwos Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Proto-Italic *proβwāō Latin probō Latin approbōder. Old French aproverbor. Middle English aproven English approve From Middle English aproven, appreoven, appreven, apreven, borrowed from Old French aprover, approver, approuvir, appreuver (“to approve”), from Latin approbō, from ad + probō (“to esteem as good, approve, prove”). Doublet of approbate. By surface analysis, ad- + prove.

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