proat,v.dial.|prəʊt| Also prote. [Origin obscure: cf. pote v. and prod v.] To poke. Hence proterdial., a poker. 1654Fuller Comm. Ruth (1868) 141 Like sullen chickens..proating under an old wood-pile.a1825Forby Voc. E. Anglia, Proter, a poker.1888Sheffield Gloss., Prote, to poke.