avouchment

English

Etymology

avouch +‎ -ment

Noun

avouchment (countable and uncountable, plural avouchments)

1. The act of avouching.
   • 1649, John Milton, Eikonoklastes‎^[1], page 5:

     While in the judgement of wise Men, by laying the foundation of his defence on the avouchment of that which is so manifestly untrue, he hath giv’n a worse soile to his own cause, then when his whole Forces were at any time overthrown.

2. A positive declaration.
   • 1959, Richard H. Rovere, “What He Was and What He Did-1”, in Senator Joe McCarthy‎^[2], Cleveland: Meridian, published 1963, page 31:

     Under oath, at the Army-McCarthy hearings, he denied ever having said this. His denials were as meaningless as his avouchments, and reputable journalists heard him.

References

• “avouchment”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.