probe
/pɹoʊb/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.99 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Something which penetrates something else, as though to explore; something which obtains information.
noun
An investigation or inquiry.
noun
A tube attached to an aircraft which can be fitted into the drogue from a tanker aircraft to allow for aerial refuelling.
noun
A small device, especially an electrode, used to explore, investigate or measure something by penetrating or being placed in it.
noun
A small, usually uncrewed, spacecraft used to acquire information or measurements about its surroundings.
Example Sentences
- "You know, XR178.9, we haven't done any anal probes in a while."
- "You listen here! We don't do anal probes like other aliens, but I'm about to make an exception!"
- "Silverberg also gives the reader reader some excellent character insight; deep probes into the minds of all the principals bring the reader closer to the persons involved than might be thought possible with the plot so far removed from the realm of normality."
- "They launched a probe into the cause of the accident."
- "Insert the probe into the soil and read the temperature."
- "If you probe further, you may discover different reasons."
Etymology
For verb: borrowed from Latin probare (“to test, examine, prove”), from probus (“good”). Doublet of prove. For noun: borrowed from Late Latin proba (“a proof”), from probare (“to test, examine, prove”); Doublet of proof. Compare Spanish tienta (“a surgeon's probe”), from tentar (“try, test”); see tempt.
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /pɹoʊb/
- British English: /pɹəʊb/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
armed probe
Bracewell probe
lambda probe
light probe
neutron probe
probe-and-drogue
probe-scissors
reflection probe