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Etymology and origin of the Italian word prova

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
end of the 12th century
Ultimate origin
Latin probō

Pronunciation

Forms

prova f (plural prove)[1] The older form pruova is now disused, and Old Italian also had proa.[2][3]

Etymology

It is a noun formed from provare (“to test, try; to prove”), as GRADIT, Devoto–Oli and the GDLI explain it.[4][3][2] Nocentini and Wiktionary take it instead from Late Latin proba (“test, proof”), itself formed from Latin probō (“to test; to approve; to prove”).[5][1] Either way the same noun is found in French preuve, Occitan proa, Catalan prova, Spanish prueba and Portuguese prova.[5][6]

The Latin verb is formed from probus (“good, excellent”), which de Vaan traces to Proto-Indo-European *pro-bʰ(h₂)u-o-, literally “being in front”.[7][8][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

GRADIT dates the word to the end of the 12th century.[4] DELI's first record of the sense “ordeal, test one undergoes to show one's qualities” is in an anonymous poet of the first half of the 13th century, and of “test, experiment” in Orlanduccio Orafo, of the 13th century.[9] The GDLI quotes Orlanduccio: Al paragon dell'oro si fa prova: / così a la bisongna de l'amico “Gold is tested on the touchstone, and so is a friend in need”.[2]

Semantic evolution

The sense “evidence, document proving a fact” is in Brunetto Latini (before 1294), the mathematical “proof of a theorem or calculation” in 1561, and “rehearsal of a show” in 1804.[9] Later the word was used for an examination at school and for a sporting event, and in law for the means by which a party proves a fact.[4]

Through Old French the word passed into English as proof and into Dutch as proef, while German Probe is from Medieval Latin.[10]

Timeline

  • End of the 12th century – GRADIT's date of first record.[4]
  • First half of the 13th century – An anonymous poet uses prova for an ordeal.[9]
  • 13th century – Orlanduccio Orafo uses it for a test.[9]
  • Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses it for evidence.[9]
  • 1561 – Alessandro Citolini uses it for a mathematical proof.[9]
  • 1804 – D'Alberti records it for a rehearsal.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A test, trial or experiment, made to check the qualities of a thing or a person or how something works: un periodo di prova; also the fitting of a garment at the tailor's.[4][3][1]
  2. An exam or part of one: la prova scritta.[4][1]
  3. An attempt: Ci è riuscito alla terza prova.[4][1]
  4. (sports) An event or trial in a competition.[4][1]
  5. (theater) A rehearsal: la prova generale.[4][3][1]
  6. A hard trial, a situation that tests someone: mettere a dura prova.[4]
  7. proof, evidence: le prove dell'accusa; also a sign that shows a quality: una prova di coraggio.[4][1]

Word family

  • provino
  • provetta
  • controprova

Usage notes

Set phrases include a prova di bomba “bombproof, absolutely reliable”, fino a prova contraria “until proved otherwise” and banco di prova “testing ground”.[4][3] An old prova “prow” is a variant of proda and prora.[10][11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 14, 765
  3. ^ a b c d e Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  6. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  10. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3121
  11. ^ Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
Cite this entry

“Prova.” Etymologically, 21 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/prova. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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