Attester

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual who formally confirms the validity or truth of a document, event, or statement
2. One who acts as a witness to verify the genuineness or accuracy of a declaration or record
3. Someone who provides official confirmation or evidence that something is genuine or true

Etymology: "Attester" is a plain formation: the verb "attest" with the agent suffix "-er" added, producing a word for the person who performs the act. The verb itself comes from Latin "attestari," built from "ad-" meaning "to" or "toward" and "testari," meaning "to bear witness," which in turn belongs to the family of "testis," witness. So an attester is, at root, someone who stands up and bears witness to something. The sense of the word has stayed close to that original act. Where "attest" can mean to certify or to provide evidence that something is genuine, the attester is the one who does this certifying, typically by signing a document or confirming in a formal setting that a statement or event happened as described. Its history is a direct line from the witness in a courtroom or the signatory on a will to the modern notary-style role the word names.

Synonyms: witness, evidencer, demonstrator, prover, signer

Antonyms: denier, falsifier, disbeliever, rejecter, doubter