Countersealing

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. The act of applying an additional seal or mark to a document or item to confirm authenticity or security, often done by a different authority or party to verify the first seal; a procedure ensuring mutual agreement or validation by affixing a supplementary seal; the process of reinforcing or double-checking official approval by placing a second seal alongside the initial one
2. A procedure involving the placement of a supplementary seal to strengthen or confirm the legitimacy of a primary seal on documents or objects; performing a double validation by an additional party through affixing another seal; the act of mutually confirming or endorsing an item’s authenticity by adding a second seal
3. The action of securing a document or item with a second seal to authenticate its validity in conjunction with the original seal; the official practice of witnessing or validating a first seal by attaching a subsequent one; reinforcing contractual legitimacy or security by applying an extra seal from an independent source

Etymology: "Countersealing" is a plain English compound: the prefix "counter-" joined to "seal," with the "-ing" ending turning the verb into a noun for the act itself. The "counter-" element here carries its older sense of "against" or "in opposition," so a countersealed document is one that has been sealed in return or in confirmation, with a second seal set alongside the first to check it. The "seal" half is the older and more interesting of the two. It descends from Latin "sigillum," a little image or figure, and the stamped impression left by a signet ring was once the chief means of authenticating a legal document before signatures became the norm. Setting a second seal over the first was therefore a physical way of saying that another authority had examined and accepted the original.

Synonyms: sealing, resealing, securing

Antonyms: unsealing, opening