• aver •
Pronunciation: ê-vêr • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: To affirm strongly, with conviction; to assert firmly as a hard, incontrovertible fact.
Notes: The only caution this word needs is a reminder of where the accent falls: always on the second syllable. If you need a noun for the action of averring, averment will do nicely. The noun average is wholly unrelated.
In Play: Anyone who makes a strong assertion is guilty of averment: "Lionel adamantly avers he knows nothing about the frog in the water cooler." The term is used especially widely in legal settings, where its meaning approaches that of allege: "Tess Tomoni averred that she witnessed the entire crime from her bedroom window."
Word History: English borrowed this word from Old French averer, a reduction of Vulgar (street) Latin adverare, comprising ad "(up) to" + verus "true". The
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