different between vouch vs asseverate

English

Etymology

From Middle English vouchen, that borrowed from Old French voucher, from Latin voc?re, present active infinitive of voc?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?va?t?/
• Rhymes: -a?t?

Verb

vouch (third-person singular simple present vouches, present participle vouching, simple past and past participle vouched)

1. To take responsibility for; to express confidence in; to witness; to obtest.
2. To warrant; to maintain by affirmations

   Synonyms: attest, affirm, avouch

   • October 28, 1705, Francis Atterbury, a sermon

     They made him ashamed first to vouch the truth of the relation, and afterwards to credit it.
3. To back; to support; to confirm.
4. To call into court to warrant and defend, or to make good a warranty of title.
5. (obsolete) To call; to summon.
   • 1531, Thomas Elyot, The Boke named the Governour

     [They] vouch (as I might say) to their aid the authority of the writers.

6. To bear witness; to give testimony or full attestation.
7. To call as a witness.
8. To assert; to aver; to declare.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Related terms

• avouch

Translations

Noun

vouch (plural vouches)

1. Warrant; attestation.

English

Etymology

From Latin assev?r?re, from assev?r? (“I assert”).

Verb

asseverate (third-person singular simple present asseverates, present participle asseverating, simple past and past participle asseverated)

1. (transitive) To declare earnestly, seriously, or positively; to affirm.
   • 1642, Sir Richard Gurney, 1st Baronet, The Lord Maior of Londons Letter to the King at Yorke, June 22, London,^[1]

     Whereas Your Maiesty hath received true information of great sums of Money endeavoured to be borrowed of Your City of London, by directions proceeding from both Houses of Parliament […] (I Your Maiesties faithfull Subiect) doe conceive, and dare asseverate, that it is intended upon no other pretence then for the Honour and defence of Your Maiesty,

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, Dublin: John Smith, Volume 2, Book 10, Chapter 7, p. 261,^[2]

     I will myself asseverate and bind it by an Oath, that the Muff thou bearest in thy Hand belonged unto Madam Sophia;

   • 1818, Walter Scott, Rob Roy, Edinburgh: Archibald Constable, Volume 1, Chapter 9, p. 195-196,^[3]

     “And I presume you can also asseverate to his worship, that no man is better qualified than I am to bear testimony in this case, seeing that I was by you, and near you, constantly during the whole occurrence?”

   • 1931, H. P. Lovecraft, The Whisperer in Darkness, chapter 1:

     The more I laughed at such theories, the more these stubborn friends asseverated them; adding that even without the heritage of legend the recent reports were too clear, consistent, detailed, and sanely prosaic in manner of telling, to be completely ignored.

   • 1971, Iris Murdoch, The Accidental Man, New York: Viking, p. 31,^[4]

     A time would come, Mr. Secombe-Hughes mysteriously asseverated, when all would be well and she would get her money.

Derived terms

• asseverative

Related terms

• asseveration

Translations

Italian

Verb

asseverate

1. second-person plural present indicative of asseverare
2. second-person plural imperative of asseverare

Participle

asseverate

1. feminine plural of the past participle of asseverare

Latin

Pronunciation

• assev?r?t?: (Classical) IPA^(key): /as.se.u?e??ra?.te?/, [äs???u?e???ä?t?e?]
• assev?r?t?: (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /as.se.ve?ra.te/, [?s??v?????t??]
• assev?r?te: (Classical) IPA^(key): /as.se.u?e??ra?.te/, [äs???u?e???ä?t??]
• assev?r?te: (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /as.se.ve?ra.te/, [?s??v?????t??]

Adverb

assev?r?t? (not comparable)

1. earnestly, emphatically

Alternative forms

• adsev?r?t?

Verb

assev?r?te

1. second-person plural present active imperative of assev?r?

References

• asseverate in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)