ENSURE

[en.sure] vt en.sured ; en.sur.ing [ME, fr. AF enseurer, prob. alter. of OF aseurer--more at assure] (ca. 1704): to make sure, certain, or safe: guarantee syn ensure, insure, assure, secure mean to make a thing or person sure. ensure, insure, and assure are interchangeable in many contexts where they indicate the making certain or inevitable of an outcome, but insure sometimes stresses the taking of necessary measures beforehand, and assure distinctively implies the removal of doubt and suspense from a person's mind. secure implies action taken to guard against attack or loss.