Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Prove

Prove , transitive verb

[Old English prover, French prouver, from Latin probare to try, approve, prove, from probus good, proper. Compare Probable, Proof, Probe.]

1.
To try or to ascertain by an experiment, or by a test or standard; to test; as, to prove the strength of gunpowder or of ordnance; to prove the contents of a vessel by a standard measure.
Thou hast proved mine heart. — Bible (KJV) - Psalm xvii. 3
2.
To evince, establish, or ascertain, as truth, reality, or fact, by argument, testimony, or other evidence.
They have inferred much from slender premises, and conjectured when they could not prove. — J. H. Newman
3.
To ascertain or establish the genuineness or validity of; to verify; as, to prove a will.
4.
To gain experience of the good or evil of; to know by trial; to experience; to suffer.
Where she, captived long, great woes did prove. — Spenser
5.
(Arithmetic) To test, evince, ascertain, or verify, as the correctness of any operation or result; thus, in subtraction, if the difference between two numbers, added to the lesser number, makes a sum equal to the greater, the correctness of the subtraction is proved.
6.
(Printing) To take a trial impression of; to take a proof of; as, to prove a page.

Prove , intransitive verb

1.
To make trial; to essay.
2.
To be found by experience, trial, or result; to turn out to be; as, a medicine proves salutary; the report proves false.
The case proves mortal. — Arbuthnot
So life a winter's morn may prove. — Keble
3.
To succeed; to turn out as expected. [Obsolete]
The experiment proved not. — Bacon