attest

American  

[uh-test] / əˈtɛst /

verb (used with object)

1. to bear witness to; certify; declare to be correct, true, or genuine; declare the truth of, in words or writing, especially to affirm in an official capacity.

   to attest the truth of a statement.

2. to give proof or evidence of; manifest.

   His works attest his industry.

3. Linguistics. to give evidence of the existence of (a word, phrase, usage, etc.), especially in writing: The dictionary attests this meaning as early as 1890.

   The plural form is attested in ancient texts.

   The dictionary attests this meaning as early as 1890.

4. to put on oath.

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verb (used without object)

1. to testify or bear witness (often followed byto ).

   to attest to the reliability of an employee.

noun

1. Archaic. witness; testimony; attestation.

attest British  

/ ˌætɛˈsteɪʃən, əˈtɛst /

verb

1. (tr) to affirm the correctness or truth of

2. to witness (an act, event, etc) or bear witness to (an act, event, etc) as by signature or oath

3. (tr) to make evident; demonstrate

   his life of luxury attests his wealth

4. (tr) to provide evidence for

   the marks in the ground attested the presence of a fossil

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Other Word Forms

• attestable adjective
• attestant noun
• attestation noun
• attestator noun
• attester noun
• attestive adjective
• attestor noun
• reattest verb (used with object)
• unattested adjective
• well-attested adjective

Etymology

Origin of attest

First recorded in 1590–1600; < Middle French attester, from Latin attestārī “to bear witness to, affirm, confirm” equivalent to at- at- + testārī “to witness” ( testis ( def. ) )

Example Sentences

"Then, the video attesting to the truth would be shown," she says.

From BBC

The resulting image is crystalline—and full of symbolic touches attesting to his status.

From The Wall Street Journal

Although some have decried Minnesota nice as a myth or a tourism marketing tactic, I can attest that this stereotype has strong roots in reality.

From Salon

But as a generation of buyers can attest, these hard-revving little gassers suffered a host of maintenance, reliability and durability issues.

From The Wall Street Journal

Carmakers will need to attest to the U.S. government that, as of March 17, core elements of their products don’t contain code that was written in China or by a Chinese company.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• authenticate
• corroborate
• demonstrate
• indicate
• substantiate
• swear
• verify