| 释义 |
▪ I. disprove, v.|dɪsˈpruːv|
Also 5 dis-, dyspreve, 7 disproove. pa. pple. disproved; also disproven.
[a. Of. desprove-r, -prouver, f. des-, L. dis- + prover to prove. Early variants were depreve, deprove, q.v.
The OF. stressed-stem form desprueve, -preuve, gave the variant dispreve, whence (on the analogy of strong verbs, as weave, woven) the pa. pple. disproven.]
1. trans. To prove (an assertion, claim, etc.) to be false or erroneous; to show the fallacy or non-validity of; to refute, rebut, invalidate.
c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 345 It is no nede to argue her for to disprove þis foli. 1386Rolls of Parlt. III. 225/2 The which thyng..by an even Juge to be proved or disproved. a1400Pistill of Susan 294, I schal be proces apert disproue þis a-pele, For nede. a1450Cov. Myst. (1851) 315 Their owyn pepyl han dysprevyd Al that I have for the seyd or mevyd. 1594Hooker Eccl. Pol. ii. vii. (1611) 72 Neither doth..the infirmity of men ouerthrow or disproue this. 1601Shakes. Jul. C. iii. ii. 105, I speake not to disprooue what Brutus spoke, But heere I am; to speake what I do know. 1796Bp. Watson Apol. Bible 346 A lesson which philosophy never taught, which wit cannot ridicule, nor sophistry disprove. 1814Chalmers Evid. Chr. Revel. ix. 251 There is a mighty difference between not proven and disproven. 1856Stanley Sinai & Pal. i. (1858) 53 No one can now prove or disprove the tradition. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 363 Nay, he replied, that is already disproven.
†b. To prove to be non-existent or fictitious.
c1430Life St. Kath. (1884) 29 How she dispreved hys goddes. c1440J. Capgrave Life St. Kath. iv. 1576 Saturne, þe firste whom ye soo dispreue.
2. To prove (a person) to be untrue or erroneous in his statements; to convict (a person) of falsehood or error; to refute, confute. Obs. or arch.
1589Cogan Haven Health ccxiv. (1636) 227 Some peradventure will disprove mee by their owne experience. 1604Shakes. Oth. v. ii. 172 Disproue this Villaine, if thou bee'st a man: He sayes, thou told'st him that his wife was false. 1633Hall Hard Texts, N.T. 42 Ye Sadducees are in this palpably disproved. 1709Strype Ann. Ref. I. lii. 560 One of these that did this was Dr. Calfhill, in two sermons preached in the same cathedral, the bishop present to hear himself disproved. 1749Chesterfield Lett. II. ccii. 267 Should you..happen to disprove me.
†3. To disallow authoritatively; to disapprove. Also intr. with of. Obs.
1477Norton Ord. Alch. vi. in Ashm. (1652) 100 That other [Art] is disproved and plainely forebod. 1494Fabyan Chron. vii. 295 Let not the rudenesse of them hym lede For to dysproue thys ryme dogerell. 1594Hooker Eccl. Pol. ii. viii. (1611) 78 Men are only not disproued or disallowed of God for them. 1628Venner Tobacco (1650) 406, I wonder why some disprove the taking of Tobacco after meals. 1720Wodrow Corr. (1843) II. 539 For my share, I disprove the method of his licensing. 1824S. E. Ferrier Inher. viii, They have seen other things either better or worse, and can, therefore, either improve or disprove them.
Hence disˈproved ppl. a., disˈproving, vbl. n.
1587Golding De Mornay i. 10 This also was a disproouing of the false Gods. 1598Barret Theor. Warres ii. i. 25 Chaunging those disproued blacke Billes and Bowes into good Muskets. 1639Ld. Digby Lett. conc. Relig. (1651) 92 Credulity being so easie and naturall, Disproving so difficult.
▪ II. disprove
obs. form of disproof. |