different between attest vs profess

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French attester, from Latin attestor (“to witness to, bear witness”), from at-, combining form of ad (“to”) + testor (“to bear witness”), from testis (“a witness”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??t?st/
• Rhymes: -?st

Verb

attest (third-person singular simple present attests, present participle attesting, simple past and past participle attested)

1. (transitive) To affirm to be correct, true, or genuine.

   When will the appraiser attest the date of the painting?

   • 1730, Joseph Addison, The Evidences Of The Christian Religion

     facts […] attested by particular pagan authors

   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Henry V iii 1 (Act ii in First Folio edition)

     Dishonour not your Mothers: now attest that those whom you call'd Fathers, did beget you.

2. (transitive) To certify by signature or oath.

   You must attest your will in order for it to be valid.

3. (transitive) To certify in an official capacity.
4. (transitive, intransitive) To supply or be evidence of.

   Her fine work attested her ability.

   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Henry V Prologue (First Folio edition)

     O pardon : since a crooked Figure may / Attest in little place a Million, / And let us, Cyphers to this great Accompt, / On your imaginarie Forces worke.

5. (transitive) To put under oath.
6. (transitive, obsolete) To call to witness; to invoke.

   • The sacred streams which Heaven's imperial state / Attests in oaths, and fears to violate.

Derived terms

• attestation
• attested
• attestment

Translations

See also

• cite
• quote

Further reading

• attest in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• attest in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• attest at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• T-state

Dutch

Etymology

Shortening of attestatie.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??t?st/
• Hyphenation: at?test
• Rhymes: -?st

Noun

attest n (plural attesten, diminutive attestje n)

1. certificate, document supporting an assertion

Anagrams

• tastte

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin attestatum

Noun

attest m (definite singular attesten, indefinite plural attester, definite plural attestene)

1. a certificate
2. a testimonial

Derived terms

• dødsattest
• fødselsattest
• vielsesattest
• vigselsattest

References

• “attest” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin attestatum

Noun

attest m (definite singular attesten, indefinite plural attestar, definite plural attestane)

1. a certificate
2. a testimonial

Derived terms

• dødsattest
• fødselsattest

References

• “attest” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Noun

attest c

1. certification, authorization; certificate

Declension

Related terms

• attestera

Anagrams

• testat

English

Etymology

From Old French professer, and its source, the participle stem of Latin profit?r?, from pro- + fat?r? (“to confess, acknowledge”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /p???f?s/
• Rhymes: -?s

Verb

profess (third-person singular simple present professes, present participle professing, simple past and past participle professed)

1. (transitive) To administer the vows of a religious order to (someone); to admit to a religious order. (Chiefly in passive.) [from 14th c.]
   • 2000, Butler's Lives of the Saints, p.118:

     This swayed the balance decisively in Mary's favour, and she was professed on 8 September 1578.

2. (reflexive) To declare oneself (to be something). [from 16th c.]
   • 2011, Alex Needham, The Guardian, 9 Dec.:

     Kiefer professes himself amused by the fuss that ensued when he announced that he was buying the Mülheim-Kärlich reactor […].

3. (transitive, intransitive) To declare; to assert, affirm. [from 16th c.]
   • c. 1604, William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, First Folio 1623:

     He professes to haue receiued no sinister measure from his Iudge, but most willingly humbles himselfe to the determination of Iustice […].

   • 1974, ‘The Kansas Kickbacks’, Time, 11 Feb 1974:

     The Governor immediately professed that he knew nothing about the incident.
4. (transitive) To make a claim (to be something); to lay claim to (a given quality, feeling etc.), often with connotations of insincerity. [from 16th c.]
   • 2010, Hélène Mulholland, The Guardian, 28 Sep 2010:

     Ed Miliband professed ignorance of the comment when he was approached by the BBC later.
5. (transitive) To declare one's adherence to (a religion, deity, principle etc.). [from 16th c.]
   • 1983, Alexander Mcleish, The Frontier Peoples of India, Mittal Publications 1984, p.122:

     The remainder of the population, about two-thirds, belongs to the Mongolian race and professes Buddhism.

6. (transitive) To work as a professor of; to teach. [from 16th c.]
7. (transitive, now rare) To claim to have knowledge or understanding of (a given area of interest, subject matter). [from 16th c.]

Translations

Further reading

• profess in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• profess in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.