Proof - prove

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The noun 'proof' and its related verb 'to prove' are sometimes confused by a typing mistake - or sometimes by people who do not care about their spelling, or other aspects of English. Don't confuse them!

  • The verb has the 'softer' sound. It rhymes with 'move' (IPA: /pruːv/). It has several meanings.
    • The first is 'to demonstrate that something is true', or 'to show that something is [as it is claimed to be]', either through evidence or through logical argument.
      • Lawyers seek to establish the truth of something in court by proving their case.
      • Mathematicians may be asked to prove a proposition or a theorem: that is, to demonstrate the truth (without exception) of a statement made about mathematical things, such as numbers or angles.
    • There is also a meaning 'to test', or 'to try'. This meaning is less common nowadays than it once was, but is still used in many manufacturing processes.
      • 'To prove' firearms is to test that they are safe for the charge of explosive they will carry.
        • To prove yeast-based doughs like bread is to leave them in a warm place to allow the yeast to expand and the dough to rise.
      • The saying "the exception proves the rule" is ambiguous, and academic writers should avoid it, except perhaps in Law, where it originated. Its legal sense is roughly 'If an exception is specified in a law, it is a proof that there is a rule, and that it applies in all other cases'. The ambiguity in non-legal contexts arises because of the two main meanings of 'prove' above. Some claim that "the exception proves the rule" has the first meaning, and so that 'If an exception has occurred, it means that the rule is a good one [because in human life, one must always make allowances for strange occurrences]'. Others claim the reverse, using prove in the second sense: "the exception proves the rule" means 'If you can find an exception, it tests the rule - and finds that it is NOT good enough'. The ambiguity of this is bad enough for AWE to advise you never to use this sentence.
  • The noun Proof has a slightly shorter sound. It rhymes with 'roof' (IPA: /pruf/). The meanings of the noun are related to the various meanings of the verb.
    • In the sense of 'to show the truth of' something':
      • Proof is what is laid before a court to demonstrate the rightness of a case.
      • It is also a conventionally laid out chain of logical argument that demonstrates the truth of a mathematical statement.
      • Students may be asked to provide proof of some idea or theory in an assignment. This may particularly in Arts subjects, be of a less rigorous certainty than proof in a law court or mathematics.
    • In the sense of 'testing'
      • One can 'put [an idea, etc] to the proof' (~ see if it is any good)
      • 'Test pieces' in various manufactures are called proofs - in printing, a sheet produced to check the quality is a proof (see also proof-reading); a proof coin is a specimen made before full production starts, in order to confirm that the die, or mould, is proper
      • The saying "the proof of the pudding is in the eating" means that one can only try the worth of something by using it for its proper purpose - it does not matter how good it looks.
  • As an adjective, and adverb of the same form, one or two other shades of meaning may be of use to students. Compound adjectives of the form [noun]]-proof meaning 'resistant to' or 'impenetrable by' the noun are common: examples include 'waterproof', 'fireproof', 'mothproof' and 'shatterproof' (where the first part is a verb).
    • Proof armour, in the Middle Ages, was that which could not be penetrated.
    • Proof spirit is a measure of alcoholic strength. Originally, in an earlier era of technology and taxation, a spirit was proved by igniting gunpowder soaked in it. If the powder burned, the spirit was 100° proof (around 57.1% ABV); the measure in the USA is different.
You may also like to look at proved - proven and proof-reading.