Word
affidavit
Phoneticsaf·fi·davit
US/ˌæfəˈdeɪvət/
UK/ˌæfɪdˈeɪvɪt/
Definitions
01legal document
n. a written promise that a statement is true, signed in front of a lawyer or official.
n. a written statement of evidence confirmed by oath or affirmation, used as testimony in legal proceedings.
“The witness signed an affidavit confirming that she saw the car hit the wall.”
“The defense attorney submitted a sworn affidavit from the primary witness, which directly contradicted the prosecution's timeline of events.”
Formal · Technical
Usage
Usually used with the verbs 'sign', 'file', or 'submit'.
Teaching tip
Learners should note that an affidavit is written, whereas 'testimony' is often spoken in court.
Synonyms
02to swear a statement
v. to promise that a written statement is true by signing a legal document.
v. to confirm or swear to a statement by means of an affidavit.
“He had to affidavit his claims before the judge would consider the case.”
“The claimant was required to affidavit the financial disclosures to ensure their admissibility during the audit.”
Formal · Technical
Usage
This verb form is much less common than the noun form.
Teaching tip
Advise students to use the noun 'affidavit' with 'sign' or 'provide' instead of using it as a verb, as the verb use is rare outside of specific legal jargon.
Real-World Examples
“According to an FBI affidavit, Sharifullah recognized the alleged bomber as an operative he had known while incarcerated.” “According to an affidavit from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released alongside the original statement, the hackers have “targeted” US federal networks since at least 2018.” Etymology
From Medieval Latin affidavit (“he has sworn”), the third person singular perfect tense of affido (“swear”), from fīdō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- (“to command, to persuade, to trust”). Cognate to fidelity and faith (same Latin root), but not to affirm (shared Latin ad- prefix, but different Latin and Proto-Indo-European roots).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/affidavit