Affermynge

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The act of confirming, ratifying or giving formal approval to an agreement, decision or statement made earlier
2. A Middle English term for the act of making something firm, settled or valid by formal confirmation
3. Formal confirmation or strengthening of a promise, lease, grant or arrangement so that it becomes binding

Etymology: This is a Middle English form, an obsolete spelling of a verbal noun meaning the act of making something firm or confirming it. Its root is the Old French "afermer," "to make firm," which came from Latin "affirmare," built from "ad-" (toward) and "firmare," from "firmus," "strong, steady." The same Latin root gave English "firm," so this word and the modern adjective are relatives. The "-ynge" ending is the Middle English suffix that turned verbs into nouns for actions and states, like the later "-ing." Modern English kept the root in "affirm" and "affirmation," but the medieval spelling, with its "-ynge" ending, belongs to the period when English spelling was still unsettled and writers used many variant forms for the same word.