(Lat. approbo, to approve.) To express approbation of; to manifest a liking, or degree of satisfaction; to express approbation officially, as of one's fitness for a public trust.--Webster.
Dr. Webster observes that this is a modern word, but in common use in America. Mr. Todd introduces it in his edition of Johnson, from Cockeram's old vocabulary, the definition of which is, to allow, to like. Mr. Todd says it is obsolete.
All things contained in Scripture is approbate by the whole consent of all the clergie of Christendom.--Sir T. Elyot's Governor, fol. 226.
"This word," says Mr. Pickering, "was formerly much used at our colleges, instead of the old English word approve. The students used to speak of having their performances approbated by their instructors. It is now in common use with our clergy as a sort of technical term, to denote a person who is licensed to preach: they would say, such a one is approbated, that is, licensed to preach. It is also common in New England to say of a person, who is licensed by the County Courts to sell spirituous liquors, or to keep a public house, that he is approbated; and the term is adopted in the law of Massachusetts on this subject."--Pickering's Vocabulary.