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Can anybody shed any light on the etymology of "prov'd"? It was fully prov'd, that the Prisoner unbolted the Hatch...

• seatonist 12y ago
  "Prov'd" is just a contraction of "proved". It was common at that time. This might have a familiar ring... If this be error, and upon me prov'd, I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd. (It's from Shakespeare's famous sonnet that begins "Let me not to the marriage of true minds / admit impediments".) Beyond that, "prove", "proof", "proven", etc are all from the latin provare - to try, or test.
  • Terr_ 12y ago
    Also, it apparently rhymed at the time, but nowadays we say "proved" differently.
    • JacobAldridge 12y ago
      The Great Vowel Shift - a fabulous part of history, and essential for fully appreciating Shakespeare. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Vowel_Shift http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Vowel_Shift
    • gnud 12y ago
      An interesting piece about this is [1]. I like the example of the double meaning in 'as you like it', shown at 8:11 [2]. 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPlpphT7n9s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPlpphT7n9s 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=gPlpphT7n9s#t=491 https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=gP...