Pro*ba"tion (?), n. [L. probatio,
fr. probare to try, examine, prove: cf. F. probation.
See Prove.]
1. The act of proving; also, that which proves
anything; proof. [Obs.]
When by miracle God dispensed great gifts to the laity,
. . . he gave probation that he intended that all should
prophesy and preach.
Jer. Taylor.
2. Any proceeding designed to ascertain truth,
to determine character, qualification, etc.; examination; trial; as,
to engage a person on probation. Hence, specifically:
(a) The novitiate which a person must pass in a
convent, to probe his or her virtue and ability to bear the severities
of the rule. (b) The trial of a ministerial
candidate's qualifications prior to his ordination, or to his
settlement as a pastor. (c) Moral trial;
the state of man in the present life, in which he has the opportunity
of proving his character, and becoming qualified for a happier
state.
No [view of human life] seems so reasonable as that
which regards it as a state of probation.
Paley.
