proeven

• IPA^(key): /ˈpru.və(n)/

• Audio:

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• Hyphenation: proe‧ven
• Rhymes: -uvən

From Middle Dutch proeven (13th c.). Ultimately from Latin probāre and hence a doublet of proberen. Probably borrowed from Old French prover, although the umlaut in Middle Low German prö̂ven, northern Middle High German prüeven may also hint at a (regionally restricted) Proto-West Germanic *prōfijan, from Vulgar Latin. In modern Dutch dialects, the vocalism generally coincides with the isogloss for umlaut on long vowels (western proeve(n) vs. Brabantian/Kleverlandish pruve(n), Limburgish preuve). Compare German prüfen.

proeven

1. (transitive) to taste (something), to test or detect by tasting

   Synonyms: smaken, testen

   Dat ziet er lekker uit. Mag ik dat even proeven? ― That looks tasty. May I taste a bit of it?

2. (transitive, figurative) to try, experience, find out, feel, taste

   Toen heb ik geproefd hoe het is om echt gelukkig te zijn. ― During that time I experienced what it means to really be happy.

3. (proscribed, intransitive) to taste, to have a taste

   Synonym: smaken

   Deze vis proeft raar. ― This fish tastes funny.

4. (obsolete, transitive) to (provide) prove (for)

   Synonym: bewijzen

Where the english verb taste can confer both meanings, in Dutch proeven is typically only used for the activity of tasting something, whereas smaken is used to express food having flavour.^[1] Examples:

Wil je even proeven of de soep zout genoeg is? - Will you quickly have a taste whether the soup is salty enough?

De soep smaakte heerlijk na de lange wandeling. - The soup tasted deliciously after the long walk.

• preuven
• proven
• pruven

• Negerhollands: proev, pruf, pruev
• → Papiamentu: pruf

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

proeven

1. plural of proef
2. plural of proeve

Borrowed from Old French prover, from Latin probō.

proeven

1. to prove, to show
2. to realise, to see
3. to test, to inspect
4. to try, to attempt
5. to taste

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

• Dutch: proeven
• Limburgish: preuve, pruueve

• “proeven (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “proeven”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN