Adjuror

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual who administers an oath to a witness in a legal setting
2. someone who invokes or requests someone to swear or affirm truthfulness during testimony
3. a person responsible for ensuring the integrity of promises made under affirmation in court or legal contexts

Etymology: An adjuror is simply one who adjures, and the word is a plain formation: the verb "adjure" with the agent suffix "-er" added to it. The suffix has a long ancestry of its own, passing from Latin "-arius" through Old French "-ier" into Middle English "-er," and the same Latin ending came into Old English as "-ere" before the modern form settled. The verb "adjure" is the more interesting half. It comes from Latin "adiurare," meaning to swear to or to bind by oath, formed from "ad" (to) and "iurare" (to swear), and it is the root of the same idea that runs through "jury" and "jurisdiction." To adjure someone is to charge them solemnly, in the name of something sacred, to do or reveal something, which explains why the person doing the adjuring is the one who gives the oath.

Synonyms: summoner