The Greek noun dokime refers to the quality of being tested and proved — the character that emerges from successfully enduring trials. It is related to dokimazo (to test/approve) and describes not merely the testing process but the proven result: character refined and validated.
Dokime is central to Paul's theology of suffering and sanctification. In Romans 5:3–4, he traces the chain: suffering produces hupomone (endurance), endurance produces dokime (proven character), and proven character produces hope. This is not a path Paul observes from a distance — he knows it from the inside. In 2 Corinthians 2:9, he writes that he tested the Corinthians to know their dokime — whether they would obey in everything. Faith untested is faith unproven; faith that has passed through the fire has dokime that cannot be manufactured any other way.