Probate is the legal process of settling the estate of a deceased person, specifically resolving all claims and distributing the decedent's property. Etymology » See also Probative. The etymology of "probate" stems from Latin, old French. and old English words with somewhat different meanings. The earliest definition, dated to 1463, means the "official proving of a will," and originates from the Classical Latin word probatus, meaning "a thing proved". This is the past participle of probā… (More on Probate)