What does averment mean?
An averment is a formal assertion or positive declaration that something is true, most commonly encountered in legal contexts. In law, an averment is a statement of fact put forward by a party in a pleading or argument — for example, an averment that a contract was breached — which the asserting party must generally support with evidence if challenged. The word derives from the verb 'to aver', meaning to affirm or allege as true, and ultimately traces back to the Latin 'verus', meaning 'true', making it a cousin of words like 'verify' and 'verdict'. Because of its formal register, averment appears almost exclusively in legal documents, court opinions, and scholarly writing rather than everyday conversation; a speaker outside the courtroom would more naturally say 'claim' or 'assertion'. Importantly, an averment itself implies nothing about truth — it simply marks the act of declaring something so, leaving proof to another stage.
A formal assertion or positive statement that something is true, especially one made in a legal pleading or proceeding.
"Every averment in the answer must respond directly to the allegations of the complaint."
In legal usage, an averment is distinguished from mere allegation by its affirmative character — it states a matter positively rather than merely raising it.
The act or practice of asserting something as true; affirmation.
"His calm averment of innocence impressed even the skeptical jurors."
This sense refers to the general act of asserting rather than any specific statement.
The plural is standard and regularly used, particularly in legal texts referring to multiple assertions within a single pleading or document.
"The judge found several of the averments in the filing to be unsupported by any evidence."
'Averment' shares its root with 'very' — both trace back to Latin verus, meaning 'true', so to make an averment is literally to declare something 'very' true.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of averment
Averment comes from the verb 'aver', which entered English in the late Middle Ages from Old French 'averer', itself derived from the Late Latin 'adverare', meaning to make true or confirm as true, built on Latin 'verus' ('true'). This same root gives us 'verify', 'verity', 'verdict', and even 'very'. The noun form arose through the standard '-ment' suffix denoting an action or result, and it settled into specialized legal usage, where it remains most current today.
Related word forms
How averment is actually used
Averment is a formal, largely legal term, most at home in pleadings, depositions, and judicial opinions. Outside of legal writing it sounds stilted or archaic; in everyday speech, speakers would say 'claim' or 'assertion' instead. It carries a neutral connotation — it names the act of asserting without implying whether the assertion is actually true.
Easily confused with averment
Though both end in '-ement', an advertisement is a public notice promoting something, while an averment is a formal assertion that something is true.