affidavit
noun
Did you know?
Promises, Promises: The History of Affidavit, Affiance, & Fiancé
Affidavit refers to a written promise, and its Latin roots connect it to another kind of promise in English. It comes from a past tense form of the Latin verb affidare, meaning “to pledge”; in Latin, affidavit translates to “he or she has made a pledge.”
Affidare is also the root of affiance, an archaic English noun meaning “trust, faith, confidence,” “marriage contract or promise,” or a meaning that has completely fallen from use, “close or intimate relationship.” More familiar to modern English speakers is the verb affiance, meaning “to promise in marriage” or “to betroth.” It usually appears as a fancy-sounding participial adjective:
I like to give affianced friends a copy of Rebecca Mead’s book “One Perfect Day,” which exposes the ridiculous wedding industry.
—Mollie Hemingway, The Federalist, 7 October 2014
Affiance came through French to English in the 14th century, and, nearly 500 years later, the related French words fiancé and fiancée were added to English. Etymologically speaking, a fiancé or fiancée is a “promised one.”
Did you know?
In Latin, affidavit means "he (she) has sworn an oath", and an affidavit is always a sworn written document. If it contains a lie, the person making it may be prosecuted. Affidavits are often used in court when it isn't possible for someone to appear in person. Police officers must usually file an affidavit with a judge to get a search warrant. Affidavits (unlike similar signed statements called depositions) are usually made without an opposing lawyer being present and able to ask questions.
Examples of affidavit in a Sentence
Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024
The arrest was made as a result of a joint effort with Miami-Dade, the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection, per the affidavit.
—Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
Burris initially said Maren sustained her fatal injury after being hit by a softball, according to an affidavit obtained by the Herald & Review.
—Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 25 Apr. 2024
Victim put on payroll to help pay for pregnancy, affidavit says
The now-16-year-old victim, who is pregnant, arrived at the Nampa Family Justice Center in March seeking help for her unborn child, according to the affidavit.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 23 Apr. 2024
In an affidavit following Kohberger’s arrest weeks after the killings, prosecutors said he was linked to the scene through male DNA discovered on a knife sheath left at the victims’ apartment house.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 21 Apr. 2024
According to Nashville news station WSMV-TV, Wallen’s arrest affidavit noted that around 10:45 p.m. local time, witnesses watched the artist pick up a chair, throw it over the roof and laugh about it.
—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Apr. 2024
Pharmacists were suspicious about the request and attempted to reach the physician but the call was disconnected, the affidavit says.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Butler and Kelley arrived about 9:40 a.m. on March 30 at a spot near a highway in Texas County to collect Butler’s two young children from Adams, according to the affidavit.
—Adela Suliman, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'affidavit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Affidavit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affidavit. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
affidavit
noun
Legal Definition
affidavit
noun
Medieval Latin, he/she has pledged faith, third singular perfect of affidare see affiant
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