Definition of probation

• n. - The act of proving; also, that which proves anything; proof.
• n. - Any proceeding designed to ascertain truth, to determine character, qualification, etc.; examination; trial; as, to engage a person on probation.
• n. - 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.
• n. - The trial of a ministerial candidate's qualifications prior to his ordination, or to his settlement as a pastor.
• n. - 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.