'approvance' originates from Middle English, ultimately from Old French 'approuver' and Latin 'approbare', where Latin 'ad-' meant 'toward' and 'probare' meant 'to test, to approve'.

'approvance' changed from Middle English formations related to the verb 'approve' (e.g. 'approven') and was used in Early Modern English; over time it became rare and was largely replaced by the noun 'approval' (and by 'approbation' in some contexts).

Initially, it meant 'assent or formal approval', but over time it became an archaic or literary term while the meaning continued in modern words like 'approval'.