Corroboracioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic term for making something stronger or more vigorous ; the act of confirming a claim through supporting proof or testimony
2. Old English usage meaning the strengthening of a body or thing ; the giving of further evidence or support that confirms what was said
3. A medieval word for invigorating or fortifying something ; a backing of a statement by additional facts, witnesses, or documents

Etymology: In Latin, "robur" meant "oak," and the oak's hardness gave it the broader sense of strength. "Corroborare" combined that root with "com-" to mean "to strengthen thoroughly," and a "corroboratio" was the act of making something firm. The English noun comes from Old French, which is why the Middle English form, "corroboracioun," ends in "-cioun" rather than the Latin "-atio." Its meaning has stayed close to that sense of making something firmer. Where a claim is strengthened by further evidence, the meaning survives in the modern sense. "Robust," from the same "robur," kept the physical idea of sturdiness more directly.