Ducentesimum Tricesimum Primum Latinum Verbum Diei: December 13, 2010

[Christina Wallin]

Theme for this month: Latin in German!

probo, probare, probavi, probatus

Definition: to regard as good or right, approve of, commend; to
approve of (a person), think well of, esteem; to give official
approval to, to give assent to (and action), sanction; to put to the
proof; to demonstrate, prove; (ecclesiastical Latin) to try, test,
examine (with respect to something's goodness)

Sententia: Cicero Pro Milone, 28.77

nunc enim quis est qui non probet, qui non laudet, qui non unum post
hominum memoriam T. Annium plurimum rei publicae profuisse, maxima
laetitia populum Romanum, cunctam Italiam, nationes omnis adfecisse et
dicat et sentiat?

For now, who is there who does not esteem this action, who does not
praise it, who does not both say and believe that one, since the
memory of men, Titus Annius [Milo] has been most helpful to the state,
that he has bestowed the greatest happiness upon the Roman public, the
whole of Italy, all nations [even]?

Marcus Tullius Cicero was a preeminent orator, lawyer, statesman, and
philosopher of the tail end of the Roman Republican era. Pro Milone
was a speech made in 52 BC in defense of his friend, Milo, for the
murder of Clodius (whose death is in fact the action which Cicero is
praising). The dispute between Clodius and Milo epitomizes the class
struggle in Rome in the first century BC, between the optimates, those
politicians who favored upholding the supremacy of the Senate, and the
populares, those who favored more power for the general populace.
Milo and Cicero were both staunch populists, whereas Clodius held the
view of the optimates. Cicero's populist views explain this passage:
he is saying that, in fact, everyone is better off with Clodius being
dead. Ultimately, Cicero lost this court case, and Milo was exiled.

So, this week's German word, “probieren,” may or may not be related to
this week's Latin word. It means “to try, attempt, test” (quite like
Latin's “tempto”), and so the way I remember it is that it's like that
Latin word. However, I like the word “probo” much better, so I
decided to feature it, though it may well be a false cognate of
“probieren." False cognates are two words that look like they are
related, but are not actually related. Up until the last definition,
I would say that these two words were false cognates, but the last one
suggests that they might be related. However, I don't have a good
etymological dictionary for German, so I cannot say for sure. I can
say for sure, however, that “probo” does come from another excellent
word, the Latin adjective “probus,” meaning “excellent in quality,
righteous, virtuous.”