affidavit

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin affīdāvit (“he (or she) has stated on oath”),^[2][3][4][5] the third person singular perfect of affīdō (“to pledge faith, declare on oath”).^[2][6][7][8] The verb is formed from ad- (“to”) and a verb "to trust" based on fīdus (“faithful, trusty”),^[3][8][7] from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- (“to trust, confide, persuade”).^[3][7] A sworn statement was so called from its first word.^[3][9] The same Medieval Latin verb gave Old French afier, the source of affy and affiance.^[2][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

A written statement confirmed by oath, for use as evidence: first recorded in 1515, in a letter of T. Dacre in the State Papers of Henry VIII.^[2][5] Barnhart had dated it to 1598, in Ben Jonson's Every Man in His Humour,^[4] and Etymonline to the 1590s;^[3] the OED's entry was revised in 2012.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its legal sense from the start, and the OED also records figurative use.^[2] Johnson (1755) defined it simply as "a declaration upon oath", quoting Donne.^[10] The OED notes spellings altered after the Latin prefix ad-, and folk-etymological ones influenced by the preposition after and by the names David and Davey;^[2] Weekley points out that Rogue Riderhood in Dickens's Our Mutual Friend turns it into Alfred David.^[11] Shortened, it became davy, recorded from 1764, chiefly in to take one's davy, to swear an oath.^[2][12][11]

Timeline

• 1515 – a written statement on oath, in a letter of T. Dacre.^[2][5]
• 1598 – in Ben Jonson's Every Man in His Humour.^[4]
• 1755 – Johnson: "a declaration upon oath".^[10]
• 1764 – the short form davy, to take one's davy.^[2][12]

Meanings

Noun

1. A written statement of facts sworn to or affirmed before an official authorized to administer oaths, such as a notary public, for use as evidence in court: The witness signed an affidavit describing the accident.^{[13][5][2][14]}
2. Specifically, such a sworn statement made by one party alone and not subject to cross-examination.^[5]

Related words

• affiance
• affy
• davy
• faith
• fidelity

Usage notes

In legal usage the person making the statement (the deponent) swears an affidavit and the judge or official takes it; in popular use the deponent is also said to make or take one.^[6][11] Much evidence, especially before trial, is given by affidavit.^[14] Merriam-Webster compares it with a deposition.^[5]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
8. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
10. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
11. ^ a b c Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
12. ^ a b Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
13. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
14. ^ a b Garner, Bryan A., ed. (2004), Black's Law Dictionary, 8th ed., St. Paul, Minn.: Thomson West