Probation

Etymology

From Latin “probatio” (a testing or proving), from “probare” (to test or prove) — the same root as “probate,” “prove,” and “probity.” Probation is a period of being tested: the offender, or the new employee, must prove themselves before the arrangement becomes settled.

noun · /proh-BAY-shun/
A court-ordered period of supervised freedom that a person serves in the community as an alternative to jail.
What it names
A sentence that keeps you out of a cell but under watch — reach for it to name the middle path between walking free and being locked up, in law and, by extension, at a new job.
Example
First-time offenders were sentenced to two years’ probation with mandatory drug testing rather than prison.
Related idea
A probation sentence replaces incarceration and is imposed instead of jail time; parole comes only after a stretch of prison has already been served.
noun · /proh-BAY-shun/
A trial period at the start of a job during which a new employee’s suitability is assessed.
What it names
the probationary window before a role becomes permanent.
Example
She passed her three-month probation and was made permanent.
Related idea
Both senses are a supervised test of whether someone can be trusted going forward.