Affirmation

How to spell affirmation

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce affirmation

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does affirmation mean?

1. nounA confident or positive assertion that something is true, or a statement made to support or encourage.
2. nounA formal, solemn declaration made instead of an oath by someone who declines to swear.

Affirmation in a sentence

• The nod from her manager felt like a clear affirmation of her work.

• The witness chose to give an affirmation rather than swear on a religious text.

• He repeated a calming affirmation to himself before the interview.

• The court accepts either an oath or an affirmation from each witness.

Where does affirmation come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb affirmare, meaning 'to make firm' or 'to strengthen', which was built from the prefix ad-, meaning 'to' or 'toward', and firmus, meaning 'strong' or 'steady'. The related noun affirmatio described the act of asserting something firmly as true. English took the word in during the 1300s through Old French affirmation, and it carried the sense of a positive, confident assertion. The same firmus root sits inside everyday relatives such as 'firm', 'confirm', and 'farm' (originally a fixed or firm payment), which is a useful reminder that the heart of the word is the spelling f-i-r-m. Because the assertion is made firmly, the double f at the start (from the assimilated ad- prefix) is the part writers most often drop.

How the word is built

• af- (from ad-: to, toward)
• firm (from firmus: strong, steady)
• -ation (noun of action)