Affirmeth

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /əˈfɜːmɪθ/

Definitions

1. Expresses agreement or support for a statement or belief
2. States something positively as true or valid
3. Asserts or confirms a fact or opinion with confidence

Etymology: "Affirmeth" is an archaic third-person singular form of "affirm," meaning "he, she, or it affirms." It is "affirm" with the old verb ending "-eth," which English speakers used in the present tense for third-person singular subjects. The ending traces back through Middle English "-eth" and Old English "-aþ" to a Proto-Germanic ending "*-ōþi," so the suffix is far older than the verb it attaches to. The verb "affirm" itself came into English from Old French "affermer," meaning to make firm or strengthen, which in turn descends from Latin "affirmare," built from "ad" ("to") and "firmare" ("to make firm"), and "firmus," meaning firm or steady. The original sense was physical solidity: to fix something in place. The legal and logical sense of declaring something true came later, which is why "affirm" today means stating something positively rather than fastening it down.

Synonyms: asserts, declares, affirms

Antonyms: denies, contradicts, disavows