Certify

How to spell certify

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce certify

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does certify mean?

1. verbTo declare or confirm something formally and officially, often in writing.

Certify in a sentence

• A qualified electrician must certify that the wiring is safe.

• The doctor agreed to certify that she was fit to return to work.

Where does certify come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin certus, meaning 'sure', 'settled' or 'determined', which was itself related to cernere, 'to sift, distinguish or decide'. Late Latin combined certus with facere ('to make') to form certificare, literally 'to make sure' or 'to make certain'. The verb passed into Old French as certifier and entered English in the late 1300s, carrying the sense of formally declaring something to be true. Over time it narrowed toward official guarantees: vouching for a fact in writing, attesting a document, or granting a formal qualification. The same certus root sits inside the everyday words 'certain' and 'certificate', and remembering that family is the easiest way to keep the 'cert' spelling secure.

How the word is built

• cert- (from Latin certus: sure, settled)
• -ify (from facere: to make)