Etymologically
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confirmation

Etymology and origin of the English word confirmation

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1300
Borrowed from
Old French confirmacion
Ultimate origin
Latin (confirmo)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌkɒn.fəˈmeɪ.ʃən/ (UK); /ˌkɑn.fəɹˈmeɪ.ʃən/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English confyrmacioun, borrowed from Old French confirmacion (“strengthening; proof; ratification”),[2][3][4] and directly Latin confirmatio (“a securing, establishing; assurance”),[2] from the past participle stem of cōnfirmāre (“to make firm, establish”) (see confirm).[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The rite admitting baptized persons to full communion with the Church: about 1300.[2]

Semantic evolution

The confirming of a person in a dignity or office, and the formal ratification of an election, are from about 1330.[5] Ratification by an additional legal form is from 1382,[5] and the act of rendering valid by formal assent from about 1400.[2] Verification, supporting evidence, is from the late 14th century (1419 in the OED).[2][5] Making firm or sure is from 1480.[5] In Judaism, a ceremony marking the end of a young person's religious training is a modern sense.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 1300 – the Christian rite.[2]
  • c. 1330 – ratification of an appointment.[5]
  • late 14th century – verification.[2]
  • 1480 – strengthening.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of confirming, or something that confirms; verification.
  2. A Christian rite admitting a baptized person to full membership of a church.
  3. A ceremony in Judaism marking the completion of a young person's religious training.

Word family

  • confirmational
  • nonconfirmation
  • preconfirmation
  • reconfirmation

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Confirmation.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/confirmation. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·