Purporting

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Presenting oneself or something as having a particular quality, character, or purpose, often without proof
2. Expressing or asserting a supposed identity, intention, or meaning, usually without verification
3. Alleging or professing to be or to carry out a role or function, often without confirmation

Etymology: The verb "purport" once meant something quite literal: to carry or convey. Its roots are in Latin "portare", "to carry", which gave Old French "porter", and the prefix "pur-" comes from Latin "pro", meaning "forth". Combined in Old French as "porporter", the idea was of carrying something forward or out for others to see. Middle English took the word over as "purporten" and the sense was of a document or text that conveyed a certain content, which is still visible in the noun "purport", meaning the gist or meaning of a text. The modern sense of holding something out as true, while leaving open whether it is, grew out of that idea of conveying. A thing that "purports" to be genuine is one that is carried forward to the world as genuine, whether or not it actually is. That is why the word so often hints at doubt: a "purporting" expert or a "purporting" cure presents a claim on its own terms without vouching for it.

Synonyms: claiming, alleging