What is the Latin word for prove?

The usual Latin words for “prove” are significō, ostendō, dēclārō; also probō, comprobō, praestō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“prove” in Latin

significōto show, express, signify, point out; to portend, prognosticate; to call, name ostendōto expose to view, exhibit, show; to reveal, expose, make known; to explain, clarify dēclārōto declare or announce; to indicate, reveal or testify; to show or prove probōto approve, permit, commend; to test, to inspect; to examine comprobōto approve wholly of something; to assent to, sanction, or acknowledge; to prove, establish, attest, make good, show, co praestōto be preferable, better, coupled with quam; to be outstanding, be exceeding in something, to excel, stand out, be super faciōto do (particularly as a specific instance or occasion of doing); to make, construct, fashion, frame, build, erect; to m

The English word prove itself goes back to Latin probus, through probō.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

prove

Transitively, (1) To show, manifest, evince, significare; ostendere (to show): declarare (to declare, publish; both stronger than the first, cf., Cic., Verr., 2, 60, 148; ad Div., 5, 13, 4): probare, comprobare (so as to convince others of the truth or excellence of a thing): praestare (to fulfil an obligation): to prove one’s obliging disposition to anybody, probare alicui officium suum: to prove anything by act and deed, aliquid praestare re; aliquid comprobare re: to prove one’s self, i. e., to show, etc., se praestare, se praebere, as anybody, aliquem; exhibere aliquem (☞ not se exhibere aliquem); e.g., to prove one’s self the friend of the people, exhibere virum civilem. (2) To show by arguments, docere, especially with argumentis: demonstrare (to give full proof): firmare, confirmare, especially with argumentis (to confirm by arguments): probare alicui aliquid (to prove the possibility of a thing; Vid: Herzog, Caes., B.G., 1, 3): efficere (to make out by strict logical proof): vincere, evincere (to prove irrefutably; Vid: Cort., Cic., Ep., 11, 28, 4): to prove to anybody by examples, cum aliquo auctoritatibus agere (Plin., Ep., 1, 20, 4): this will prove that, etc., ejus rei testimonium est, etc.: that is difficult to prove, hoc difficile est probatu: that proves nothing at all, nullum verum id argumentum est: the event proved it, exitus approbavit. (3) To try, put to the proof [Vid: TRY].

Intransitively, fieri: esse; se ostendere; ostendi.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for prove?: The usual Latin words for “prove” are significō, ostendō, dēclārō; also probō, comprobō, praestō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.