proof
• noun 1 evidence establishing a fact or the truth of a statement. 2 the proving of the truth of a statement. 3 a series of stages in the resolution of a mathematical or philosophical problem. 3 archaic a test or trial. 4 Printing a trial impression of a page used for making corrections before final printing. 5 a trial photographic print. 6 a specially struck specimen coin. 7 the strength of distilled alcoholic liquor, relative to proof spirit taken as a standard of 100. • adjective in combination resistant: bulletproof. • verb 1 make waterproof. 2 make a proof of (a printed work). 3 proof-read (a text). — PHRASES the proof of the pudding is in the eating proverb the real value of something can be judged only from practical experience or results. — ORIGIN Old French proeve, from Latin probare ‘to test, prove’.
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