Dictionary.com
definitions

attest

[ uh-test ]
/ əˈtɛst /
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR attest ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to bear witness to; certify; declare to be correct, true, or genuine; declare the truth of, in words or writing, especially affirm in an official capacity: to attest the truth of a statement.
to give proof or evidence of; manifest: His works attest his industry.
to put on oath.

verb (used without object)

to testify or bear witness (often followed by to): to attest to the reliability of an employee.

noun

Archaic. witness; testimony; attestation.

RELATED WORDS

unidentified, unnamed, undisclosed, nameless, unsigned, incognito, pseudo, pseudonymous, secret, unspecified, X, innominate, unacknowledged, unavowed, unclaimed, uncredited, undesignated, whatchamacallit, whatsis

Nearby words

  1. attenuated,
  2. attenuated virus,
  3. attenuation,
  4. attenuator,
  5. attercop,
  6. attestation,
  7. attested,
  8. attested form,
  9. attic,
  10. attic base

Origin of attest

1590–1600; (< Middle French attester) < Latin attestārī to bear witness to, equivalent to at- at- + testārī (test(is) a witness + -ā- thematic vowel + -rī infinitive suffix)
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for unattested

attest

/ (əˈtɛst) /

verb

(tr) to affirm the correctness or truth of
(when intr, usually foll by to) to witness (an act, event, etc) or bear witness to (an act, event, etc) as by signature or oath
(tr) to make evident; demonstratehis life of luxury attests his wealth
(tr) to provide evidence forthe marks in the ground attested the presence of a fossil
Derived Formsattestable, adjectiveattestant, attester, esp law attestor or attestator, nounattestation (ˌætɛˈsteɪʃən), noun

Word Origin for attest

C16: from Latin attestārī to prove, from testārī to bear witness, from testis a witness
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for unattested

attest

v.

1590s, from Middle French attester (Old French atester, 13c.) "affirm, attest," from Latin attestari "confirm," literally "bear witness to," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + testari "bear witness," from testis "witness" (see testament). Related: Attested; attesting.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper