PROBE

I. noun Etymology: Medieval Latin proba examination, from Latin probare Date: 1580 a slender medical instrument used especially for exploration (as of a wound or body cavity), 2. any of various testing devices or substances: as, a pointed metal tip for making electrical contact with a circuit element being checked, a usually small object that is inserted into something so as to test conditions at a given point, a device used to penetrate or send back information especially from outer space or a celestial body, a device (as an ultrasound generator) or a substance (as radioactively labeled DNA) used to obtain specific information for diagnostic or experimental purposes, a pipe on the receiving airplane thrust into the drogue of the delivering airplane in air refueling, 3. the action of probing, a penetrating or critical investigation, a tentative exploratory advance or survey, II. verb (~d; probing) Date: 1649 transitive verb to search into and explore very thoroughly ; subject to a penetrating investigation, to examine with a ~ , intransitive verb to make a searching exploratory investigation, see: enter ~r noun