Definition of "proof" []

• The evidence or argument that compels the mind to accept an assertion as true. (noun)
• The validation of a proposition by application of specified rules, as of induction or deduction, to assumptions, axioms, and sequentially derived conclusions. (noun)
• A statement or argument used in such a validation. (noun)
• Convincing or persuasive demonstration: was asked for proof of his identity; an employment history that was proof of her dependability. (noun)
• The state of being convinced or persuaded by consideration of evidence. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "That is so funny about your selecting the squirrel proof feeder, and I can agree, some are more *proof* than others!"
• "However, when it comes to attempting to understand the deep structure of classical proof systems (and in particular, when two derivations that differ in some superficial syntactic way are really different ways to represent the one underlying ˜proof™) it is enlightening to think of classical logic as formed by a basic substructural logic, in which extra structural rules are imposed as additions."
• "‡ An apparently intact hymen is valued in some cultures as proof of virginity in a bride; this “proof, ” however, is not accurate."