attest
/əˈtɛst
/verb
1 [with object] Provide or serve as clear evidence of: his status is attested by his becoming an alderman [no object]: his numerous drawings of babies attest to his fascination with them...
- Compaq's growth, in particular, is attested by anecdotal evidence from industry.
- Substantial evidence now attests to the extent of doctors' unhappiness with the state of their relationships with managers.
- No certain archaeological evidence exists to attest these invasions, and there is still much uncertainty about the route taken and places visited.
1.1 [no object] Declare that something exists or is the case: I can attest to his tremendous energy [with clause]: the deceased’s solicitor attested that he had been about to institute divorce proceedings...
- I know a few professors who can attest to this.
- Numerous young professional players can attest to his tireless encouragement and invaluable expertise.
- Many highly trained professionals can attest to the irrelevance of evolutionary theory.
1.2Witness or certify formally: the witnesses must attest and sign the will in the testator’s presence...
- Skaters desirous of taking part in trials should bring their birth certificates duly attested by principals of their respective schools.
- They had no intention to verify or attest the Deceased's signature.
- Participants must be present at the venue with bona fide certificates attested by their school head master or principals.
Synonyms
certify, corroborate, confirm, verify, substantiate, document, authenticate, give proof of, provide evidence of, evidence, demonstrate, evince, display, exhibit, show, manifest, prove, endorse, back up, support, guarantee;
affirm, aver, swear to, testify to, bear witness to, bear out, give credence to, vouch for;
Law depose to
informal stick up for, throw one's weight behind
rare asseverate
2 [no object] historical Enrol as ready for military service: unfortunately for him, he attested
2.1 [with object] Recruit (someone) for military service by putting them on oath to serve if called upon: 2,000,000 men were attested under this system
Derivatives
attestable
attestation
/ noun ...- A copy of the attestation, or certificate stating that you are the owner of the property, should be issued to you within three months.
- The journalist is also in breach of an oath of attestation that he made in becoming a police constable.
- The 44-year-old ex-Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner took over from David Wilmot today - and became the first policeman in Britain to take the new oath of attestation.
attestor
/ noun ...- Prior to the evaluation of your course, you'll be requested to submit a report to the attestors.
- These rules are sometimes at odds with each other, resulting in financial statements that are confusing to users, preparers and attestors.
- A task force of approximately 15 persons is appointed, including preparers, attestors and users of financial information who are knowledgeable about the subject matter.
Origin
Early 16th century: from French attester, from Latin attestari, from ad- 'to' + testari 'to witness' (from testis 'a witness').
testicle from Late Middle English:
The ancient Romans felt that a man's testicles testified that he was male. They formed the word testiculus from Latin testis ‘witness’, the source also of attest (late 16th century); detest (Late Middle English) which originally meant to denounce; protest (Late Middle English); testify (Late Middle English); and intestate (Late Middle English) ‘without a witnessed will’. The testicles were the ‘witnesses’ of the man's virility.