Affirmances

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Statements or declarations confirming the truth or validity of something ; acts of asserting support or agreement ; legal confirmations upholding a previous decision
2. Expressions or assertions that guarantee the accuracy or correctness of a claim ; formal recognitions endorsing a belief or position ; judicial acts confirming and sustaining a judgment
3. Verbal or written confirmations establishing certainty or approval ; supportive proclamations reinforcing a statement ; official legal approvals ratifying an earlier ruling

Etymology: "Affirmances" is the plural of "affirmance", a noun for a formal confirmation or endorsement. Its base is the verb "affirm", which comes from Latin "affirmare", meaning "to make firm" or "to assert", built from "ad" (toward) and "firmare" (to strengthen, from "firmus", firm). The verb has been in English since the late Middle Ages, and the same sense of making something firm runs through the noun. The noun "affirmance" is usually explained as "affirm" plus the suffix "-ance", which turns a verb into a noun of action or state, as in "appearance" or "performance". A second route is also given in the sources: the noun may come directly from Old French "afermance", a word already formed from the same Latin root. Either way, the word carries the idea of firmly fixing something in place, whether a claim or a judgment.

Synonyms: confirmations, assertions, approvals, endorsements

Antonyms: denials, rejections, refutations