Averement

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A firm, formal statement in legal pleading that asserts a fact to be true and must be proven
2. A solemn declaration or positive claim that something is the case, especially in a court document
3. The act of affirming as true a particular fact, typically in a legal submission to a court

Etymology: In medieval English courtrooms, "averment" was a formal assertion of fact in a legal pleading. It comes from Anglo-French, where "averer" meant to confirm something as true, and that verb is built from Latin "ad," "to," plus "verus," "true." The same Latin root gave English "verity" and, through Old French "verai," the everyday word "very," which once meant simply "true." Lawyers still use the term for a party's firm claim that a fact exists, which they must then prove. The sense has barely shifted in centuries. "Aver" survives mainly in legal and formal writing, where it still means to state something positively as fact.

Synonyms: averment, allegation, assertion