English
affirm
Affirm comes from Middle English affermen ‘to decide upon’, and goes back to Latin affirmare ‘to present as fixed, aver, affirm’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaffirmare‘to present as fixed, aver, affirm’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400afermer
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500affermen‘to decide upon’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611affirm
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaffirmare‘to present as fixed, aver, affirm’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400afermer
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500affermen‘to decide upon’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611affirm
Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Jesus, […] whom Paul affirmed to be alive”.
A compound of ad ‘to’ + firmare ‘to make firm’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd ‘near, at’
Proto-Italic *ad ‘toward, to, on, up to, for’
Latin ad ‘to’
Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- ‘to support’
Proto-Indo-European *dʰermos
Proto-Italic *θermos
Proto-Italic *fermos
Latin firmus ‘strong, powerful’
Latin firmō ‘to make firm’
Every English word from Latin affirmare
Today it means
verb To agree, verify or concur; to answer positively.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin affirmare / affirm