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pro·bang

(prōbăng′)

A long, slender, flexible rod having a tuft or sponge at the end, used to remove foreign bodies from or apply medication to the larynx or esophagus.

[Alteration (probably influenced by PROBE) of earlier provang, perhaps from alteration of obsolete provet, surgical probe, from French éprouvette, from éprouver, to test, try out, from Old French esprover : es-, out (from Latin ex-, ex-) + prover, to prove; see PROVE.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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