Approve

How to spell approve

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce approve

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does approve mean?

1. verbTo officially agree to or accept something, or to regard it favourably.

Approve in a sentence

• The board must approve the budget before any money is spent.

• Her parents did not approve of the late hours she kept.

Where does approve come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin approbare, which meant 'to assent to' or 'to regard as good', formed from the prefix ad- (meaning 'to' or 'toward') and probare (meaning 'to test, to try, or to find worthy'). The same probare gives us 'prove', 'probe', and 'probation', all carrying the underlying idea of putting something to the test. English took the word in during the 1300s by way of Old French aprover, which had already softened the spelling and the sound. The original notion of testing eventually gave way to the modern meaning of judging something favourably or giving official permission. The single 'p' followed by a doubled idea in pronunciation is what trips writers up: it is one 'p' in ap- but then 'prove', so the spelling keeps a tidy logic once you spot the 'prove' hiding inside.

How the word is built

• ap- (variant of ad-: to, toward)
• prove (from probare: to test, to find good)