asseverate

English

Etymology

From Latin assevērāre, from assevērō (“I assert”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈsɛvəɹeɪt/

Verb

asseverate (third-person singular simple present asseverates, present participle asseverating, simple past and past participle asseverated)

1. (transitive) To assert earnestly, seriously, and confidently
   • 1642, Sir Richard Gurney, 1st Baronet, The Lord Maior of Londons Letter to the King at Yorke, June 22‎^[1], London:

     Whereas Your Maiesty hath received true information of great sums of Money endeavoured to be borrowed of Your City of London, by directions proceeding from both Houses of Parliament […] (I Your Maiesties faithfull Subiect) doe conceive, and dare asseverate, that it is intended upon no other pretence then for the Honour and defence of Your Maiesty,

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, chapter 7, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book 10, page 261:

     I will myself asseverate and bind it by an Oath, that the Muff thou bearest in thy Hand belonged unto Madam Sophia;

   • 1817 December 31 (indicated as 1818), [Walter Scott], chapter IX, in Rob Roy. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC, pages 195–196:

     “And I presume you can also asseverate to his worship, that no man is better qualified than I am to bear testimony in this case, seeing that I was by you, and near you, constantly during the whole occurrence?”

   • 1931, H. P. Lovecraft, chapter 1, in The Whisperer in Darkness:

     The more I laughed at such theories, the more these stubborn friends asseverated them; adding that even without the heritage of legend the recent reports were too clear, consistent, detailed, and sanely prosaic in manner of telling, to be completely ignored.

   • 1971, Iris Murdoch, An Accidental Man‎^[2], New York: Viking, page 31:

     A time would come, Mr. Secombe-Hughes mysteriously asseverated, when all would be well and she would get her money.

Derived terms

• asseverative

Related terms

• asseveration

Translations

declare earnestly

• Bulgarian: твърдя (bg) (tvǎrdja), заявявам (bg) (zajavjavam)
• Dutch: betuigen (nl),verzekeren (nl)plechtig verklaren
• German: beteuern (de)
• Italian: asseverare (it)
• Norwegian:

  Norwegian Bokmål: bedyre (no), (høytidelig) forsikre

  Norwegian Nynorsk: (høgtidleg) forsikre

• Spanish: aseverar (es)

Italian

Etymology 1

Verb

asseverate

1. inflection of asseverare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

Participle

asseverate f pl

1. feminine plural of asseverato

Latin

Pronunciation

• assevērātē: (Classical) IPA^(key): /as.se.u̯eːˈraː.teː/, [äs̠ːeu̯eːˈräːt̪eː]
• assevērātē: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /as.se.veˈra.te/, [äsːeveˈräːt̪e]
• assevērāte: (Classical) IPA^(key): /as.se.u̯eːˈraː.te/, [äs̠ːeu̯eːˈräːt̪ɛ]
• assevērāte: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /as.se.veˈra.te/, [äsːeveˈräːt̪e]

Adverb

assevērātē (not comparable)

1. earnestly, emphatically

Alternative forms

• adsevērātē

Verb

assevērāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of assevērō

References

• asseverate in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)