attest

See also: Attest

English

Etymology

PIE word
*tréyes

Borrowed from Middle French attester, from Latin attestor (“to witness to, bear witness”), from at-, combining form of ad (“to”) + testor (“to bear witness”), from testis (“a witness”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈtɛst/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛst

Verb

attest (third-person singular simple present attests, present participle attesting, simple past and past participle attested)

1. (transitive) To affirm to be correct, true, or genuine.

   When will the appraiser attest the date of the painting?

   • 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:

     Dishonour not your Mothers: now attest that those whom you call'd Fathers, did beget you.

   • a. 1720 (date written), Joseph Addison, “Section III. The Providence of God.”, in The Evidences of the Christian Religion, […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson […], published 1730, →OCLC, subsection VII, page 25:

     [W]e have already ſeen many particular facts vvhich are recorded in holy vvrit, atteſted by particular Pagan Authors: […]

   • 2019 May 19, Alex McLevy, “The final Game Of Thrones brings a pensive but simple meditation about stories (newbies)”, in The A.V. Club‎, archived from the original on 22 May 2019:

     As the Wildlings can attest, there’s already new life even north of the wall, poking up through the ice. Winter only lasts so long.

2. (transitive) To certify by signature or oath.

   You must attest your will in order for it to be valid.

3. (transitive) To certify in an official capacity.
4. (ambitransitive) To supply or be evidence of.

   Her fine work attested her ability.

   • 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act PROLOGUE, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)]:

     O pardon : since a crooked Figure may / Attest in little place a Million, / And let us, Cyphers to this great Accompt, / On your imaginarie Forces worke.

   • 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page viii:

     The supplementary bibliography (in Vol. VI) attests to the comprehensiveness of the effort.

5. (transitive) To put under oath.
6. (transitive, obsolete) To call to witness; to invoke.
   • 1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     The sacred streams which Heaven's imperial state / Attests in oaths, and fears to violate.

Derived terms

• attestability
• attestable
• attestation
• attested
• attestive
• attestment
• coattest
• reattest
• unattestable

Translations

to affirm to be correct, true, or genuine

Albanian: dëshmoj (sq), vërteroj Bulgarian: потвърждавам (bg) (potvǎrždavam), заверявам (bg) (zaverjavam), удостоверявам (bg) (udostoverjavam) Chinese: 证实 (zh) (zhèngshí) Czech: potvrdit (cs) Dutch: attesteren (nl) Esperanto: atesti (eo) Finnish: todentaa (fi), vahvistaa (fi), todistaa (fi) German: attestieren (de), beglaubigen (de) Hungarian: tanúsít (hu), igazol (hu), bizonyít (hu) Italian: attestare (it) Latin: attestor Norwegian: Bokmål: attestere (no) Portuguese: atestar (pt) Romanian: atesta (ro), confirma (ro), adeveri (ro) Russian: подтвержда́ть (ru) (podtverždátʹ) Spanish: avalar (es), atestiguar (es) Swedish: attestera (sv)

to certify by signature or oath

Finnish: vahvistaa (fi), todistaa (fi) Hungarian: tanúsít (hu) Spanish: compulsar (es) (legal; referring to documents)

to certify in an official capacity

Finnish: vahvistaa (fi) Hungarian: hitelesít (hu) Polish: atestować (pl) impf or pf

to supply or be evidence of

Finnish: osoittaa (fi), todistaa (fi) Hungarian: tanúsít (hu), tanúskodik (hu)

to put under oath

to call to witness

to establish or verify the usage of

Spanish: establecer (es), verificar (es), atestiguar (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

French: (please verify) attester (fr) Ido: (please verify) atestar (io)

See also

• cite
• quote

Further reading

• “attest”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “attest”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “attest”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• T-state

Dutch

Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:

attest

Wikipedia ^nl

Etymology

Shortening of attestatie.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑˈtɛst/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: at‧test
• Rhymes: -ɛst

Noun

attest n (plural attesten, diminutive attestje n)

1. certificate, document supporting an assertion

Descendants

• → Indonesian: atés

Anagrams

• tastte

Norwegian Bokmål

Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:

attest

Wikipedia ^no

Etymology

From Latin attestatum.

Noun

attest m (definite singular attesten, indefinite plural attester, definite plural attestene)

1. a certificate
2. a testimonial

Derived terms

• dødsattest
• fødselsattest
• vielsesattest
• vigselsattest

References

• “attest” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin attestatum.

Noun

attest m (definite singular attesten, indefinite plural attestar, definite plural attestane)

1. a certificate
2. a testimonial

Derived terms

• dødsattest
• fødselsattest

References

• “attest” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Noun

attest c

1. certification, authorization; certificate

Declension

Declension of attest

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	attest	attests
	definite	attesten	attestens
plural	indefinite	attester	attesters
	definite	attesterna	attesternas

Related terms

• attestera

Further reading

• attest in Svensk ordbok.

Anagrams

• testat