Meaning?

Question

Hi.In writing stages, there is one called proof-reading. Out of curiosity, I want to know why is it called so? Thank you in advanc.

Hrsanei · Accepted Answer

Hi.
Well, that's a good question for which I do not have a good answer. I assume, it is called "proof reading" because you are proving the lexical and grammatical accuracy of your writing. Note that "proof" is the noun for "prove".

Hamid

Sinhmani · Answer

Proofreading is the reading of a proof or an electronic copy of a publication to detect and correct production errors of text or art. Proofreaders are expected to be consistently accurate by default because they occupy the last stage of typographic production before publication.

A proof is a typeset version of copy or a manuscript page.
They often contain typos introduced through human error. Traditionally, a proofreader looks at an increment of text on the copy and then compares it to the corresponding typeset increment, and then marks any errors.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proofreading

Fivejedjon · Answer

One of the original meanings of the words that became modern proof/prove was 'test/trial'. Printers used to run off a copy of material they were going to print, the proof, and read this through to find mistakes that they could correct before they printed hundreds of copies.

You can still see this meaning in:

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
The exception that proves the rule.

Both noun and verb have the meaning 'test', though many native speakers today do not realise this.

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