affirmation, affyrmacyon

[In Fr. affirmation; Sp. a firm a cion; Ital. aff erm azione, all fr. Lat. affirmatio.] [AFFIRM.] A. Ordinary Language: L The act of affirming anything. 1. The act of confirming anything. "The learned in the laws of our land observe, that our statutes sometimes are only the affermation or ratification of that which by common law was held before."-Hooker. 2. The act of a erting anything confidently. "This gentleman vouches, upon warrant of bloody anrmation, his to be more virtuous and le attemptable than any of our ladies."- Shakesp .: Cymbeline, 14 + II. The state of being affirmed, confirmed, or confidently a erted. III. The thing confirmed, the a ertion confidently made. allowed the a firm at i on of a Quaker to he received in criminal cases." -Macaulay: Hist. Eng., ch. xxiil. B. Technically : 1. Logic : The combination of the two terms of a proposition so as to produce a statement or judgment. 2. Law : The act of affirming in the sense of solemnly declaring in a court of law that certain testimony about to be given is true. Also the statement made. First, the Quakers and Moravians, who objected on conscientious grounds to take eaths, were allowed to make solemn affirmations instead; now, every one objecting to take an oath has the same privilege; but, as is just, false affirmations, no le than false oaths, are liable to the penalties of perjury.