approve
/əˈpɹuːv/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.08 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
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.
Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "Although we may disagree with it, we must nevertheless approve the sentence handed down by the court-martial."
- "It has jailed environmental activists and is planning to limit the power of judicial oversight by handing a state-approved body a monopoly over bringing environmental lawsuits."
- "We approve the measure of the administration, for it is an excellent decision."
- "He had long burned with impatience to approve his valour."
- "1812–1818, Lord Byron, Child Harolde's Piligrimage 'T is an old lesson; Time approves it true."
- "Opportunities to approve[…]worth."
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- Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *probʰHwós Proto-Italic *proβwos Proto-Italic *proβos Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Proto-Italic *proβāō Latin probō Latin approbāreder. 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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: aproven, aprover, approbō, approuen, aprouer, prōsum
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /əˈpɹuːv/
- British English: /əˈpɹuːv/
Usage
Inflected Forms
approves (present, singular)
approving (participle, present)
approved (participle, past)
approved (past)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
approved (first person, past)
approvest (archaic, present)
approved (past, second person)
approvedst (archaic, past)
approveth (archaic, present)
approved (past, singular)