Probate is the act or process of officially proving a will to be valid.
Probate cases can go on for two years or more.
probate in British English
(ˈprəʊbɪt, -beɪt)
noun
1.
the act or process of officially proving the authenticity and validity of a will
2.
a.
the official certificate stating a will to be genuine and conferring on the executors power to administer the estate
b.
the probate copy of a will
3.
(in the US) all matters within the jurisdiction of a probate court
4. (modifier)
of, relating to, or concerned with probate
probate value
a probate court
verb
5. (transitive) mainly US and Canadian
to establish officially the authenticity and validity of (a will)
Word origin
C15: from Latin probāre to inspect
probate in American English
(ˈproʊbeɪt; for n.,; British proʊbɪt)
noun
1.
the act or process of proving before a duly authorized person that a document submitted for official certification and registration, esp. a will, is genuine
2.
the judicial certification of a will
3.
a certified copy of a probated will
4. US
all matters coming under the jurisdiction of probate courts
adjective
5.
having to do with probate or a probate court
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈproˌbated or ˈproˌbating
6.
to establish officially the genuineness or validity of (a will)
7. US, Popularly
to certify in a probate court as mentally unsound
Word origin
ME probat < L probatus, pp. of probare, to prove: see probe
Examples of 'probate' in a sentence
probate
With any luck it will simply be held in probate till the end of time: no one's heard of Una for decades.
Weldon, Fay SPLITTING (2002)
If they wished, he informed them, he would continue to represent them, to obtain probate, to engage accountants.
Gaskin, Catherine THE AMBASSADOR'S WOMEN (2002)
Incidentally, Lennox, I can't string them along much further - there's nothing to hold up the probate.