AFFIRM


Meaning of AFFIRM in English

əˈfərm, -ə̄m, -əim also aˈ- verb

( -ed/-ing/-s )

Etymology: alteration (influenced by Latin affirmare ) of Middle English affermen, from Middle French afermer, from Latin affirmare, from ad- + firmare to make firm, from firmus firm — more at firm

transitive verb

1.

a. : validate , confirm

he was affirmed as a candidate

b. : to state positively or with confidence : declare as a fact : assert to be true

science has become too complex to affirm the existence of universal truths — Henry Adams

we cannot affirm that this is the later play — T.S.Eliot

— opposed to deny

c. : to assert as valid or confirmed (as a judgment, decree, or order brought before an appellate court for review) — compare modify , reverse

d. : to testify to or declare by affirmation — distinguished from swear

intransitive verb

1.

a. : to declare or assert positively

we must work and affirm , but we have no guess of the value of what we say or do — R.W.Emerson

b. : to testify or declare by affirmation

a court ruling that atheists may affirm

2. : to uphold a judgment or decree of a lower court

the Court of Appeals affirmed — New York Certified Public Accountant

Synonyms: see assert , swear

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.