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af·firm (ə-fûrm)
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v. af·firmed, af·firm·ing, af·firms
v.tr.
1. To declare positively; assert to be true: a philosopher affirming the existence of free will; a document affirming that each student has completed the course.
2. To declare support for or belief in: affirm the right to self-determination.
3. Law To rule (a court decision) to have been correct; confirm: The Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's decision.
v.intr.
Law
To assert that one will give true testimony equivalent to that which would be given while under oath.
[Middle English affermen, from Old French afermer, from Latin affirmāre : ad-, ad- + firmāre, to strengthen (from firmus, strong; see dher- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).]
af·firma·ble adj.
af·firma·bly adv.
af·firmant adj. & n.
af·firmer n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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