Etymology: Medieval Latin proba examination, from Latin probare
Date: 1580
1: a slender medical instrument used especially for exploration (as of a wound or body cavity) 2 a: any of various testing devices or substances: as (1): a pointed metal tip for making electrical contact with a circuit element being checked (2): a usually small object that is inserted into something so as to test conditions at a given point (3): a device used to penetrate or send back information especially from outer space or a celestial body (4): a device (as an ultrasound generator) or a substance (as radioactively labeled DNA) used to obtain specific information for diagnostic or experimental purposes b: a pipe on the receiving airplane thrust into the drogue of the delivering airplane in air refueling 3 a: the action of probing b: a penetrating or critical investigation c: a tentative exploratory advance or survey
