Avouch

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /əˈvaʊt͡ʃ/

Definitions

1. To assert or confirm something confidently as true or valid
2. To openly state or guarantee the truth of a matter
3. To make a formal or emphatic declaration asserting truthfulness

Etymology: Before it meant to declare something firmly, "avouch" was a legal word, and it was once used to name the act of calling in a higher authority to vouch for you. The verb comes from Old French "avouchier," which descends from Latin "advocāre," meaning "to call to" or "to summon." Legal and feudal contexts in medieval France used the idea of calling someone forward to stand behind your claim, and that sense of summoning a witness gradually turned into the sense of standing behind a statement oneself. "Avouch" shares its origin with three other English words that are doublets, meaning they came into the language by different routes from the same Latin source. "Advocate," "avow," and "avouch" all trace back to "advocāre," but each reached English through a different path and took on different senses. "Avow" moved toward the idea of openly admitting or declaring, while "advocate" kept the sense of speaking on someone's behalf.

Synonyms: affirm, assert, declare, maintain, warrant

Antonyms: deny, disavow, retract, abjure, contradict