What does affidavit mean?
An affidavit is a formal written statement declaring certain facts to be true, made voluntarily and confirmed by the oath or solemn affirmation of its author before a person legally authorized to administer it, such as a notary public or court official. Because it is sworn, an affidavit carries the weight of the signer's personal accountability: knowingly signing a false affidavit constitutes perjury, a criminal offense. Affidavits are widely used in legal proceedings, immigration applications, property transactions, and administrative processes where a certified first-person account is required but a full courtroom appearance is impractical. They differ from depositions, which record spoken testimony given orally in court. The word derives from medieval Latin affidare, meaning 'to pledge one's faith,' reflecting the act of trust at its core. Formal in register and almost exclusively encountered in legal and bureaucratic contexts, the affidavit remains one of the most enduring instruments of documented truth-telling in modern law.
nounA written statement of facts, made voluntarily and confirmed under oath or by solemn affirmation before an authorized person (such as a notary public), used as legal evidence.
- A written statement of facts confirmed by oath or affirmation before an authorized official, used as evidence in legal proceedings.
"The witness signed a sworn affidavit attesting that she had seen the defendant at the scene."
"Before the case could proceed, each witness was required to submit a sworn affidavit to the court."
"She visited a notary public to have her affidavit of residency notarized for the visa application."
The standard English plural is affidavits; the Latinate form affidavita occasionally appears in older legal texts but is rare in modern usage.
"The clerk filed all three affidavits submitted by the witnesses."
Every affidavit literally ends with the Latin word for 'he has pledged his faith' — jurats on old documents still read 'coram nobis' with the signer's faith formally promised.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of affidavit
Affidavit comes from medieval Latin affidare, meaning 'to pledge one's faith' or 'to trust,' formed from ad ('to') plus fidere ('to trust'), the same root that gives English words like confide, fiduciary, and affiance. The term entered English legal usage in the early modern period, likely via Anglo-Norman legal French, and became established in English law by the seventeenth century. Its Latin lineage ties it to fides, the Roman concept of good faith and trustworthiness that underpins much of Western legal vocabulary.
How affidavit is actually used
Affidavit is a formal legal term; it belongs to legal, administrative, and official registers rather than everyday conversation. In some jurisdictions (notably Scotland and parts of Europe) a similar function is served by a 'statutory declaration', which is affirmed rather than sworn. The plural is sometimes given as affidavits, though affidavita appears in older legal usage.
Easily confused with affidavit
An affidavit is a written sworn statement signed by the person making it, while a deposition is testimony transcribed from spoken answers given orally in court.