confirmv.
/kənˈfəːm/, U.S. /kənˈfərm/ 1.
a. transitive. To make firm or more firm, to add strength to, to settle, establish firmly.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > change > absence of change, changelessness > stability, fixity > make stable, establish [verb (transitive)]
fastenOE
grounda1300
confirmc1300
establec1386
settlec1386
establish1533
entrench?1587
fix1605
stabilitate1642
substantiate1792
stabilify1871
stabilize1875
freeze1936
c1300 Beket 430 Lawes ther beoth and custumes, that..bi the Kyng Henries dai..i-confermed were..that no man ther aȝe nas.
1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis III. 191 Pite..His regne in good estate confermeth.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 25390 Þis word amen..Conferms al [is] forwit said.
1611 Bible (King James) 2 Kings xv. 19 That his hand might be with him, to confirm the kingdome in his hand. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) v. vii. 42 His alliance will confirme our peace. View more context for this quotation
1703 W. Burkitt Expos. Notes New Test. Mark v. 34 To preserve it [health], to recover it, and confirm it.
1822 ‘B. Cornwall’ Misc. Poems Distance doth but confirm..a love sublime.
1871 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1876) IV. xviii. 207 To confirm his dominion by fortresses and garrisons.
b. To establish by long continuance, render inveterate (a disease, etc.). See confirmed adj. 1b.
2. figurative.a1586 Sir P. Sidney Apol. Poetrie (1595) sig. F1v Dauid had so far forsaken God, as to confirme adulterie with murther.1648 N. Estwick Πνευματολογια 8 Their passing through the Sea..did seal up, and..confirm that Moses was by the Lord deputed to bee..a Leader of his people.
a. To make valid by formal authoritative assent (a thing already instituted or ordained); to ratify, sanction.A charter was confirmed by being inspected, ratified, and sanctioned anew, by a successor of the original grantor.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > rule of law > [verb (transitive)] > validate or ratify
confirmc1290
affirma1325
authorize1431
corrobore1485
stable1501–2
find1512
corroborate1530
authenticate1555
warrant1598
validatea1648
convalidate1656
execute1737
enforce1756
homologatea1765
sanction1778
formalize1855
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > attest, bear witness [verb (transitive)] > support, corroborate > on basis of authority
confirmc1290
certify1330
approvec1380
authorizea1393
ratify?a1425
consignc1430
corroborate1530
attest1590
concredit1659
attestate1660
you can quote me1813
c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 59/179 Seint Fraunceys..To confermi is ordre a-riȝht toward Rome he wende.
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (1724) 324 [He] confermede al so Þe ȝeftes, þat oþer kynges hadde er yȝyue þerto.
1311–12 Charter (dated 23 Apr. 939) Cod. Dipl. V. 235 Ich Æðelstan..grantye and confirmye by ðisse minre chartre.]
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (Roxb.) xxxiv. 156 Oure haly fader þe Pape hase ratified and confermed my buke.
1552 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16279) Confirmacion sig. P.i They may then themselues..openly..ratifie and confirme [1549 confesse] the same [baptismal vows].
1658 J. Bramhall Consecration Protestant Bishops Justified viii. 154 Paul 4. and Cardinall Poole..confirmed all Ordinations in Edward the sixths time indifferently.
1765 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. I. i. i. 127 The great charter..obtained..from king John, and afterwards..confirmed in parliament by king Henry the third.
1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall III. 52 This moderate sentence was confirmed by the emperor. But it was not confirmed by the archbishop.
1806 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. VI. 132 Where a codicil ratifies and confirms a will.
185. J. C. Curtis Hist. Eng. 114 According to Sir Edward Coke it [Magna Charta] has been thirty-two times solemnly confirmed by acts of parliament.
1875 W. Stubbs Constit. Hist. (1877) II. 141 The charters were confirmed by inspeximus on the 12th [Oct. 1297]; the king on the 5th of November at Ghent confirmed both the charters and the new articles.
1875 Public Health Act §184 Bye-laws made by a Local Authority..shall not take effect unless..confirmed by the Local Government Board.
b. Const. a person to or in a dignity, position, etc.: to ratify the election or appointment of.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > ratification or confirmation > confirm or ratify [verb (transitive)]
confirm1297
ratify1357
endoss1381
approve1413
roborate?a1475
establish1533
justify1596
firm1599
rate?1611
affeera1616
tie1623
convalidate1656
sanction1778
accredit1826
countersign1840
endorse1847
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (1724) 473 Wan he were ichose in is chapele..Homage he solde him do, ar he confermed were.
1480 W. Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxxxvi. 258 Tho that were chose to bisshoppes sees..myȝt be confermed to the same of hir metropolitanes.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Macc. xi. 27 The kynge..confirmed him in the hye presthode.
1587 A. Fleming et al. Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) III. 1241/1 He was confirmed bishop of Couentrie.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) ii. iii. 209 Hee's not confirm'd, we may deny him yet. View more context for this quotation
1712 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1889) III. 387 Yesterday Mr. John Keil was confirm'd in Congregation Professor of Geometry.
1803 Ld. Nelson 5 Nov. in Dispatches & Lett. (1845) V. 1803 I congratulate you on being confirmed and..I shall be glad to put you into a good Frigate.
1886 H. Yule & A. C. Burnell Hobson-Jobson Confirmed, applied to an officer whose hold of an appointment is made permanent.
c. Const. (a possession, title, etc.) to a person: to ratify the presentation or bestowal of.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > ratification or confirmation > confirm or ratify [verb (transitive)] > bestowal of possession or title to a person
confirmc1325
c1325 Coer de L. 3664 Make hym Sawdoun..and rycheste kyng: Confirme it hym and hys ofspring.
c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. (1810) 112 Þe kyng for his seruise confermed his gyft.
1528–30 tr. T. Littleton Tenures (new ed.) f. xliiiv If I by my dede confyrme the state vnto the tenaunt for terme of yeres.
1595 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 i. i. 173 Confirme the crowne to me and to mine heires.
1795 W. Paley View Evidences Christianity (ed. 3) II. ii. vi. 142 Claudius..confirmed to Agrippa the dominion which Caligula had given him.
1851 T. H. Turner Some Acct. Domest. Archit. I. ii. 48 The Church of St. Olave, Southwark, was confirmed to the prior and convent of St. Pancras, of Lewes.
3. To make firm, strengthen, establish (any one in a habit, practice, disposition, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > strengthening or confirmation of immaterial things > strengthen or confirm immaterial things [verb (transitive)]
strengha1175
strengthc1200
astrengthc1250
strength1340
confirmc1386
affirma1393
forcec1430
renforce?1473
corrobore1485
re-enforcec1485
reinforcec1485
stronga1500
consolidate?a1547
strengthen1546
sinewize1600
sinew1625
confortate1651
nervate1682
scaffolda1693
corroborate1698
substantiate1792
nerve1856
stouten1887
affirm1899
toughen1901
to put stuffing into1938
the world > time > change > absence of change, changelessness > stability, fixity > make stable, establish [verb (transitive)] > on, in, or into
groundc1374
confirmc1386
inground1581
secure1609
fix1662
c1386 G. Chaucer Doctor's Tale 136 She Confermed was in swich souerayn bountee That, etc.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 500 Þai [sc. angels] ware confermed þar als tite, þat þai mai neuermar held til il.
1413 J. Lydgate Pilgr. of Sowle (1859) ii. lii. 54 He was confermyd in malyce.
1548 H. Latimer Notable Serm. sig. A.vv To confirme them in the same fayth.
1718 Free-thinker No. 51. 1 [He] has employ'd his Time..only to confirm Himself in Absurdities.
1824 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto XVI li. 89 Perhaps..To laugh him out of his supposed dismay..Perhaps..to confirm him in it.
4. To strengthen spiritually.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > be or cause to be spiritual [verb (transitive)] > instruct or improve
bindc975
confirma1300
enhancec1325
edify1340
exhancea1450
enlightena1500
build1526
mounta1546
spiritualize1596
sanctify1597
a1300 E.E. Psalter l. [li] 13 Conferme we wyþ þyn holy gost.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Confirmacion f. xii* Confirme and strength them with the inward unccion of thy holy gost.
1872 J. Ruskin Eagle's Nest §121 Men whose passions were tempered, and whose hearts confirmed, in the calm of these holy places.
5. Christian Church. To administer the religious rite of confirmation n. to; formerly ‘to bishop’.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > sacrament > confirmation > confirm [verb (transitive)]
bishopc1000
confirmc1315
bispc1450
consign1537
c1315 Shoreham 15 The bisschop these wordes seth..‘Ich signi the with signe of croys, And with the creme of hele Confermi’.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xv. 449 Til it be crystened in crystes name and confermed of þe bisshop, It is hethene as to heueneward.
1420 Chron. Eng. iv. f. 32/1 He ordeyned that a chylde sholde be confyrmed as soone as it myght, namely after it was crystened.
a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. cxxxi. f. lxvii This Chylde..was brought to the holy Bissop Amandus to be confermed, beyng than of the age of .xl. dayes.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Confirmacion f. ix* It is thought good that none hereafter shall be confirmed, but suche as can say..tharticles of the faith the lordes prayer, and the tenne commaundementes: And can also aunswere to suche questions of this shorte Cathechisme.
1732 D. Neal Hist. Puritans I. 238 They disliked the Custom of confirming Children, as soon as they could repeat the Lord's Prayer and their Catechism.
1863 E. M. Sewell Glimpse of World vi. 45 ‘She has been treated quite like a grown-up girl,’ continued Mrs. Cameron..‘You know we had her confirmed last year.’
1885 W. E. Addis & T. Arnold Catholic Dict. (ed. 3) at Confirmation The Greeks and Orientals give it immediately after baptism, and in the West down to the thirteenth century a child was confirmed as soon after baptism as possible..But the Roman Catechism advises that confirmation should not be given till the age of reason.
6. † b. reflexive and in passive. To be firmly resolved. Obsolete.
a. To make firm, fortify, encourage, strengthen (in an opinion, action, or purpose).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > support > support or encouragement > support or encourage [verb (transitive)] > strengthen or secure
comfortc1290
confirm1485
undergird1526
firm1639
1485 W. Caxton tr. Lyf St. Wenefryde 17 Go ye confermed by the lycence of myn auctorite.
1649 J. Milton Tenure of Kings 13 These words [sc. Deut. xvii. 14] confirme us that the right of choosing, yea of changing thir owne goverment is..in the people.
1715 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad I. ii. 228 Warriors like you..By brave Examples should confirm the rest.
1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 168. ⁋5 When Mackbeth is confirming himself in the horrid purpose.
1801 M. Edgeworth Forester in Moral Tales I. 36 He was confirmed in this opinion.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > resolution or determination > be resolute or determined [verb (intransitive)]
confirm1382
needsa1387
beseta1400
purposea1400
to be determined1529
to set downa1586
to set (up) one's rest1593
to stop at nothing1676
to keep one's pecker up1845
the mind > will > decision > resolution or determination > be resolute or determined [verb (reflexive)]
confirm1382
1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Ezek. xxiv. 1 The king of Babiloyne is confermyd aȝens Jerusalem to day.
c1386 G. Chaucer Melibeus ⁋811 I assente and conferme me to have pees.
?c1640 W. Rowley et al. Witch of Edmonton (1658) i. i. 3 I am confirm'd, and will resolve to do What you think most behoofeful.
7. † b. with object and infinitive complement. Obsolete. rare.
a. To corroborate, or add support to (a statement, etc.); to make certain, verify, put beyond doubt.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > attest, bear witness [verb (transitive)] > support, corroborate
fasteneOE
i-sothea925
sustainc1325
witness1362
approvec1380
confirmc1384
affirma1393
justifya1393
to bear outa1475
corrobore1485
uphold1485
nourisha1522
underpinc1522
to countenance outa1529
favoura1530
soothe1544
strengthen1548
comfort1593
second1596
accredit1598
evidencea1601
warrantise1600
compact1608
back1612
thickena1616
accreditate1654
shoulder1674
support1691
corroborate1706
carry1835
to give (also lend) colour1921
c1384 G. Chaucer Hous of Fame ii. 253 To confirme my reasoun Thou wost wel this.
a1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 53 To conferme this..oure Lorde hathe shewed his myracles in these two chirches.
?1541 R. Copland Guy de Chauliac's Questyonary Cyrurgyens ii. sig. Biij This reason is confyrmed by an example yt Henry de Maundeuille putteth.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) v. i. 17 Hauing no witnesse to confirme my speech. View more context for this quotation
1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 305. ¶4 The News..has not been yet confirmed.
1837 B. Disraeli Venetia II. 143 Her altered habits confirmed the suspicion.
1871 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues IV. 29 The testimony of Xenophon is thus confirmed by that of Plato.
ΚΠ
1586 A. Day Eng. Secretorie i. sig. E3 These and such like..are confirmed to vnhonest.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > maintaining or upholding as true > maintain or uphold as true [verb (transitive)]
haveOE
werea1300
maintainc1350
confirmc1380
sustainc1430
defendc1475
to hold in hand1530
uphold1530
soothea1556
dispute1610
sticklea1661
to hold out1847
claim1864
c1380 J. Wyclif Wks. (1880) 258 Ȝif þe chirche of þes prelatis confermen þat þis is þe gospel of crist.
c1540 Pilgr. T. 276 With an othe confirmid and said, that I had rehersid nothing but popry.
1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 5v Doth not Aristotle alleadge and confirme, that Nature frameth..nothing..vnperfect?
1668 N. Culpeper & A. Cole tr. T. Bartholin Anat. (new ed.) iii. iii. 135 I am not of their opinion who confirme that this Spirit is Generated in..the Brain.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > belief, trust, confidence > act of convincing, conviction > bring to belief, convince [verb (transitive)]
persuadec1450
ensurec1500
satisfyc1520
convict1583
forcea1586
move1590
possess1591
secure1602
confirm1607
convince1609
convince1632
induce1655
prepossessa1676
coax1676
1607 B. Jonson Volpone ii. i. sig. D2v Pray you Sir, confirme me, Were there three Porcpisces seene, aboue the Bridge, As they giue out? View more context for this quotation
1638 J. Ford Fancies v. 64 Now 'tis Oracle, And so receiv'd; I am confirm'd.
a1640 J. Fletcher et al. Beggers Bush i. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Kk2/1 We are all confirm'd, 'twas a sought quarrell.
1707 E. Ward Hudibras Redivivus II. xii. 25 The Battel they had won, Confirm'd them all was now their own.
1722 E. Haywood Brit. Recluse 125 If before..I thought these Ladies were mistaken, I was now confirm'd they were so.
1771 O. Goldsmith Hist. Eng. IV. 309 The ministry was no sooner confirmed in the account of his arrival..than, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > support > [verb (transitive)]
to bear upeOE
underbearc950
bearOE
holdc1000
weighc1200
to hold up1297
upholda1300
sustainc1330
undersetc1330
comforta1382
underbear1382
upbear1390
sustaina1398
upkeepc1412
carrya1425
supporta1425
chargea1500
convey1514
avoke1529
confirm1542
stay1548
to carry up1570
bolster1581
lift1590
upstay1590
atlas1593
sustent1605
statuminatea1628
firm1646
appui1656
establish1664
shoulder1674
to keep up1681
upheave1729
withhold1769
the world > life > the body > bodily constitution > bodily strength > strengthening > make strong [verb (transitive)] > a part or organ
confirm1542
consolidate?a1547
vigorate1613
muniate1657
anneal1842
1542 A. Borde Compend. Regyment Helth xi. sig. F.ivv Good breade doth comforte, confyrme, and doth stablysshe a mannes herte.
1578 J. Banister Hist. Man iii. f. 42 [Ligaments] issue out..from the hinder part of the Spondilles..to confirme the Vertebres.
1611 Bible (King James) Isa. xxxv. 3 Confirme the feeble knees. View more context for this quotation
1665 J. Webb Vindic. Stone-Heng (1725) 74 This way of confirming great Stones in Buildings.
1682 N. O. tr. N. Boileau-Despréaux Lutrin iii. 114 A Truncheon strong Confirms his staggering steps.
1716 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad II. v. 155 His Nerves confirm'd, his languid Spirits chear'd.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > constitution of matter > hardness > types of hardness > [verb (transitive)] > make firm
fastena1398
firmify1578
firm1579
confirm1663
jam1787
1663 J. Spencer Disc. Prodigies Pref. That the Ghosts assum'd an aiery..body to appear in, which was confirm'd by the cold of the night.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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