different between approve vs approbation

English

Pronunciation

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??p?u?v/
• Rhymes: -u?v

Etymology 1

From Middle English aproven, appreoven, appreven, apreven, borrowed from Old French aprover, approver, approuvir, appreuver (“to approve”), from Latin approb?, from ad + prob? (“to esteem as good, approve, prove”). Compare prove, approbate.

Verb

approve (third-person singular simple present approves, present participle approving, simple past and past participle approved)

1. (transitive) To officially sanction; to ratify; to confirm; to set as satisfactory.

2. (transitive) To regard as good or suitable; to commend; to be pleased with; to think well of.

3. (transitive, archaic) To make proof of; to demonstrate; to prove or show practically.
   • 1848, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession Of James II

     He had approved himself a great warrior.

   • 1844, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays: Second Series

     Opportunities to approve […] worth.

   • 1812-1818, Lord Byron, Child Harolde's Piligrimage

     'T is an old lesson; Time approves it true.

   • 1764, Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto, III:

     He had long burned with impatience to approve his valour.

4. (intransitive, followed by "of") To consider worthy (to); to be pleased (with); to accept.
   • 2016, Mitski, Your Best American Girl

     Your mother wouldn't approve of how my mother raised me. But I do, I think I do. And you're an all-American boy

   • 1995, The Verve, A Northern Soul

     Dad didn't approve of me, do you? I'm alive with something inside of me.

   • 1848, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession Of James II

     They had not approved of the deposition of James.

   • 1758, Jonathan Swift, The History of the Four Last Years of the Queen

     Their address was in the most dutiful manner, approving of what her majesty had done toward a peace, and dissolve her parliament

5. (archaic, transitive, usually with a reflexive pronoun) To show to be worthy; to demonstrate the merits of.
   • a. 1729, John Rogers, The Duty and Advantageous of Trust in God

     The first care and concern must be to approve himself to God.

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English approuen, approven, from Old French aprouer; a- + a form apparently derived from the pro, prod, in Latin pr?sum (“be useful or profitable”). Compare with improve.

Verb

approve (third-person singular simple present approves, present participle approving, simple past and past participle approved)

1. (transitive, law, English law) To make profit of; to convert to one's own profit — said especially of waste or common land appropriated by the lord of the manor.

References

• approve in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

English

Etymology

From late Middle English approbacioun, from Old French approbacion (French approbation), from Latin approbatio, from approbare (“to assent to as good, approve, also show to be good, confirm”), from ad (“to”) + probare (“approve, commend”), from probus (“good”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?æp.????be?.??n/, /?æp.???be?.??n/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?æp.?o??be?.??n/, /?æp.???be?.??n/

Noun

approbation (countable and uncountable, plural approbations)

1. The act of approving; an assenting to the propriety of a thing with some degree of pleasure or satisfaction; approval, sanction, commendation or official recognition.
   • 1871, Charles Darwin, Descent of Man, ch. 3:

     [A]nimals not only love, but have desire to be loved. . . . They love approbation or praise.

Usage notes

• Approbation and approval have the same general meaning, assenting to or declaring as good, sanction, commendation; but approbation is stronger and more positive. We may be anxious for the approbation of our friends; but we should be still more anxious for the approval of our own consciences. He who is desirous to obtain universal approbation will learn a good lesson from the fable of the old man and his ass. The work has been examined by several excellent judges, who have expressed their unqualified approval of its plan and execution.
  (material dates from 1913)

Synonyms

• (act of approving): approval, concurrence, consent, liking, sanction
• See also Thesaurus:praise

Antonyms

• (act of approving): disapprobation

Related terms

Translations

See also

• approbation on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Further reading

• approbation in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• approbation in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• approbation at OneLook Dictionary Search

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin approb?ti?, approb?ti?nem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.p??.ba.sj??/

Noun

approbation f (plural approbations)

1. approval (permission)

Related terms

• approbateur

Further reading

• “approbation” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).