aver
Americanverb (used with object)
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to assert or affirm with confidence; declare in a positive or peremptory manner.
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Law. to allege as a fact.
verb
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to state positively; assert
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law to allege as a fact or prove to be true
Related Words
See maintain.
Other Word Forms
- averment noun
- misaver verb (used with object)
- preaver verb (used with object)
- unaverred adjective
Etymology
Origin of aver
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French averer < Medieval Latin advērāre, equivalent to ad- ad- + -vēr- (< Latin vērus true) + -ā- thematic vowel + -re infinitive suffix
Explanation
To aver is to state something or declare something is true. This verb has a serious tone, so you might aver something on a witness stand or you might aver that you won't back down to a challenge. The verb aver comes to English via the Latin root words ad, meaning "to," and verus, meaning "true." The word can have the sense of formally declaring something is true, but it can also mean to report positively: "The grandmother averred that her granddaughter would make a fine veterinarian because of her love and caring for animals."
Vocabulary lists containing aver
The Call of the Wild
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Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But many practitioners of Ayurveda or other traditional Indian medicine aver that the churning process used to prepare lassi breaks down the glial proteins in the dairy, making it even easier to digest.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 24, 2022
The speakers were divided into six groups which aver aged about 176 words each, or more than 1,000 words a day.
From Washington Times • May 17, 2017
“True, but isn’t it just a tad egomaniacal,” longtime readers may now aver, “to think that anything you type could improve the world?”
From New York Times • Dec. 19, 2015
When all this comes to an end, bears aver, the market rally could peter out.
From Economist • Apr. 23, 2015
“I aver, sir, 1 have so little conception of the direction of this interview' that I cannot offer any reply whatsoever.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
