Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To sanction officially; authorize.
from The Century Dictionary.
- . Approved. Sir T. Elyot.
- In Scots law, accepted. See the verb.
- To express approbation of; manifest a liking for or degree of satisfaction in; express approbation of officially, as of a person's fitness for a public office or employment; approve; pass.
- To license: as, to
approbate a person to preach; to approbate a man to keep a hotel or other public house. - In Scots law, to approve or assent to as valid: chiefly in the following phrase.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective obsolete Approved.
- transitive verb To express approbation of; to approve; to sanction officially.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To give official
sanction ,consent orauthorization
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb approve or sanction officially
- verb accept (documents) as valid
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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It seems that Providence did not approbate their actions.
Letter from Wright M. Carter to Young J. and Mollie Allen,May 6, 1861 2008
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I verily believe that the Lord will approbate our actions, unless we do something to incur his displeasure which I hope we will not do.
Letter from Wright M. Carter to Young J. and Mollie Allen,May 6, 1861 2008
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Travel to or visitation of the surface of Treetrunk was circumscribed but not forbidden, provided that any landing parties first obtained approbate clearance from the military authorities on board the Shaka.
Dirge Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- 2000
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Licensing Lambard, because the select Men had refused to approbate him, because he never was approbated by the select men, to keep a Tavern in the House he now lives in, because there are already 3 and his would make 4 Taverns besides Retailers, within 3/4 of a Mile, and because he obtained an a License from that
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The question was put before the Association as to the attitude of that body toward such a ruling and the following reply was given: "We do not approbate the method of raising money by assessments, upon the principle of its not being sanctioned by New Testament examples and the general principles of the Baptists and because of the unhappy consequences which may result from such a practice."
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Among the verbs similarly preserved are to whittle, to wilt and to approbate.
Chapter 2. The Beginnings of American. 5. Archaic English Words Henry Louis 1921
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Of this work, the Rev. Samuel Stanhope Smith, President of Princeton College, says: "Having cast my eyes over your manuscript copy of Geographical Cards, I approbate the general plan of the work, and think them with the present improved state of Geography, correct, and adapted particularly to facilitate the improvement of youth."
North Carolina Schools and Academies 1790-1840 A Documentary History Charles Lee 1915
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We pick and choose, take and leave, approbate and reprobate in a breath.
Obiter Dicta Augustine Birrell 1891
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The Stadtholder was too wary a politician to approbate immediately so sweeping a proposal, and referred it to the States-General.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 11 John [Editor] Rudd 1885
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Be sure that your answer is such as the decisions of Eternity will approbate.
Life of Rev. A. Crooks, A. M. Elizabeth Willits Crooks 1875
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