UNAPPROVED — failing the test; used of counterfeit coin and of metal that does not pass assay, from dokimazō, 'to test and approve'. Romans 1:28 is a pun that only survives if both halves keep the same root: they did not APPROVE of holding God in accurate knowledge, so God gave them over to an UNAPPROVED mind. KJV's 'reprobate mind' carries the idea through Latin; NWT reads 'disapproved mental state'. Paul turns it on himself at 1 Corinthians 9:27 — the fear of preaching to others and being adokimos himself. → first discussed at Rom 1:28