Probate
Etymology
From Latin “probare” (to test, prove, or approve), from “probus” (good, honest) — the same root as “prove,” “probable,” and “probity.” Probate is literally the “proving” of the will: the court testing that the document is genuine.
noun · /PROH-bayt/
The court process that validates a dead person’s will and oversees the distribution of their estate.
What it names
The bureaucratic gauntlet a will must pass through before anyone inherits — reach for it to explain why an estate can be tied up for months even when the wishes are clear.
Example
Because everything was held in a trust, the house passed to the children directly and never entered probate.
Related idea
A will is the document stating your wishes; probate is the court procedure that proves it is valid and carries it out — which is why estate planners work to keep assets out of probate.