Definition of "probate" []

• The process of legally establishing the validity of a will before a judicial authority. (noun)
• Judicial certification of the validity of a will. (noun)
• An authenticated copy of a will so certified. (noun)
• To establish the validity of (a will) by probate. (verb-transitive)
• Of or relating to probate or to a probate court: probate law; a probate judge. (adjective)

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.

• "There is in every county a probate court held by a _judge of probate_, whose duties relate to the proving of wills and the settling of the estates of persons deceased."
• "Nor can you get a jury trial in probate and child support cases."
• "After his wife died, his assets became tied up in probate and divorce proceedings."