probate

UK/ˈpɹəʊbeɪt/US/ˈpɹəʊbeɪt/

nounC2Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #10,556 of 15,258neutral

Probate is the legal process of proving a will. Apply for probate, grant of probate, the estate is in probate.

Until the grant is issued nobody may sell the house or empty the accounts, which is why it holds everything up at the worst possible time. It takes months in most countries. If there is no will, the equivalent process is called letters of administration.

Definitions of probate

1nounprobateThe legal process of proving a will.C2
“Her father's estate went through probate, which took almost a year.”

probate is a legal process.

Remember it

The Latin is probare, to test: the same testing behind prove. Probate is the court proving that the will is the real one.

hooks ontoprove

Where it comes from

Latin probatum means a thing proved, from probare, to test or prove. Probe and prove are relatives.

Proto-Indo-European
*bʰuH-
Latin
probatus
Middle English
probate
English, today
probate

Built from

probare · Latin — to test, examine, judge of

From Middle English probate, from Latin probatus, past participle of probare (“to test, examine, judge of”); see probe, prove.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

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probate in the wild

The probated will then becomes a legal instrument that may be enforced by the executor in the law courts if necessary.
Probate
Concurrent through the probate process, a will may be contested.
Probate
In some jurisdictions probate court functions are performed by a chancery court or another court of equity, or as a part or division of another court.
Probate court
In counties without these probate courts matters are handled by county or district courts.
Probate court
In 1968, the Modern Courts Amendment to the Ohio Constitution was adopted, establishing probate divisions of the courts of common pleas instead.
Ohio Courts of Common Pleas

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the probare family

probe

probate — used about once every 6,499 pages · #10,556 · point at the bar for the others

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