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Probe

 - 8 dictionary results
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probe

  [prohb] verb, probed, prob⋅ing, noun
Use Probe in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to search into or examine thoroughly; question closely: to probe one's conscience.
2. to examine or explore with a probe.
–verb (used without object)
3. to examine or explore with or as if with a probe.
–noun
4. the act of probing.
5. a slender surgical instrument for exploring the depth or direction of a wound, sinus, or the like.
6. an investigation, esp. by a legislative committee, of suspected illegal activity.
7. Aerospace. space probe.
8. a projecting, pipelike device on a receiving aircraft used to make connection with and receive fuel from a tanker aircraft during refueling in flight.
9. a device, attached by cord to an oven, that can be inserted into roasts or other food so that the oven shuts off when the desired internal temperature of the food is reached.
10. Biology. any identifiable substance that is used to detect, isolate, or identify another substance, as a labeled strand of DNA that hybridizes with its complementary RNA or a monoclonal antibody that combines with a specific protein.
Origin:
1555–65; (n.) < ML proba examination, LL: test, deriv. of probāre (see prove ); (v.) partly deriv. of the n., partly < L probāre. See proof

Related forms:
probe⋅a⋅ble, adjective
prober, noun

Synonyms:
1. investigate, scrutinize.
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space probe

 
–noun
Aerospace. an unmanned spacecraft designed to explore the solar system and transmit data back to earth.
Also called probe.

Origin:
1955–60
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Probe
probe   (prōb)   
n.  

  1. An exploratory action, expedition, or device, especially one designed to investigate and obtain information on a remote or unknown region.

  2. A slender, flexible surgical instrument used to explore a wound or body cavity.

  3. Biology A substance, such as DNA, that is radioactively labeled or otherwise marked and used to detect or identify another substance in a sample.

  4. The act of exploring or searching with or as if with a device or instrument.

  5. An investigation into unfamiliar matters or questionable activities; a penetrating inquiry: a congressional probe into price fixing. See Synonyms at inquiry.

  6. A space probe.

v.   probed, prob·ing, probes

v.   tr.

  1. To explore with or as if with a probe: probe a wound; probe one's motives.

  2. To delve into; investigate.

v.   intr.
To conduct an exploratory investigation; search.

[Middle English, examination, from Medieval Latin proba, from Late Latin, proof, from Latin probāre, to test, from probus, good; see per1 in Indo-European roots.]
prob'er n., prob'ing·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

probe  (n.)
1580, "instrument for exploring wounds, etc.," from M.L. proba "examination," in L.L. "test, proof," from L. probare (see prove). Meaning "act of probing" is 1890, from the verb; fig. sense of "penetrating investigation" is from 1903. Meaning "small, unmanned exploratory craft" is attested from 1953. The verb is first recorded 1649 (originally figurative; "to search thoroughly, interrogate"), from the noun.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1probe
Pronunciation: 'prOb
Function: noun
1 : a surgical instrument that consists typically of a light slender fairlyflexible pointed metal instrument like a small rod that is used typically for locating a foreign body (as a bullet embedded in a part of the body), for exploring a wound or suppurative tract byprodding or piercing, or for penetrating and exploring bodily passages and cavities
2 : a device (as an ultrasound generator) or a substance (as radioactively labeled DNA) used toobtain specific information (as detection of a virus or location of specific segments of a nucleic acid) for diagnostic or experimental purposes probe revealed thedistribution of molecules in the membrane>

Main Entry: 2probe
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: probed; prob·ing
transitive senses
: to examine with or as if with aprobe <probe a wound> probe intransitive senses
: to search by using a probe <probe for a bullet>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

probe (prōb)
n.
A slender flexible surgical instrument with a blunt bulbous tip, used to explore a wound or body cavity. v. probed, prob·ing, probes
To explore a wound or body cavity with a probe.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Computing Dictionary

Probe
An object-oriented logic language based on ObjVlisp.
["Proposition d'une Extension Objet Minimale pour Prolog", Actes du Sem Prog en Logique, Tregastel (May 1987), pp. 483-506].

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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