Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A slender, flexible surgical instrument used to explore a wound or body cavity.
  • noun An electrode or other device that can be placed inside something to take and convey measurements.
  • noun A substance, such as DNA, that is radioactively labeled or otherwise marked and used to detect or identify another substance in a sample.
  • noun A space probe.
  • noun An exploratory action or expedition, especially one designed to investigate and obtain information on a remote or unknown region.
  • noun The act of exploring or searching with a device or instrument.
  • noun An investigation into unfamiliar matters or questionable activities; a penetrating inquiry: synonym: inquiry.
  • intransitive verb To penetrate or explore physically, especially with a probe, in order to find or discover something.
  • intransitive verb To investigate by means of a chemical probe.
  • intransitive verb To make an inquiry about (something); investigate or examine.
  • intransitive verb To subject (a person) to questioning; interrogate.
  • intransitive verb To make a physical search, especially by penetrating with a probe.
  • intransitive verb To pose questions or conduct an investigation.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A proof; a trial; a test.
  • noun A printer's proof.
  • noun In surgery, a slender flexible rod of silver or other substance for examining the conditions of a wound or other cavity, or the direction of a sinus.
  • To examine with or as with a probe; explore, as a wound or other cavity, especially of the body: often used of searching for some extraneous object in a part or organ by means of an instrument thrust into it.
  • Figuratively, to search to the bottom; scrutinize; examine thoroughly into.
  • To prick, as a sealed can, so as to allow the compressed air or gas within to escape.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To examine, as a wound, an ulcer, or some cavity of the body, with a probe.
  • transitive verb Fig.: to search to the bottom; to scrutinize or examine thoroughly.
  • noun (Surg.) An instrument for examining the depth or other circumstances of a wound, ulcer, or cavity, or the direction of a sinus, of for exploring for bullets, for stones in the bladder, etc.
  • noun (Surg.) scissors used to open wounds, the blade of which, to be thrust into the orifice, has a button at the end.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a move with multiple answers seeking to make the opponent choose and commit to a strategy
  • verb transitive, intransitive To explore, investigate, or question
  • verb transitive To insert a probe into.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an investigation conducted using a flexible surgical instrument to explore an injury or a body cavity
  • verb examine physically with or as if with a probe
  • noun an exploratory action or expedition
  • verb question or examine thoroughly and closely
  • noun a flexible slender surgical instrument with a blunt end that is used to explore wounds or body cavities
  • noun an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, examination, from Medieval Latin proba, from Late Latin, proof, from Latin probāre, to test, from probus, good; see per in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

For verb: Latin probare ("to test, examine, prove"), from probus ("good").

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