attestare

Attestare is an Italian transitive verb meaning to attest, certify, or bear witness to the truth of a statement, a document, or a fact. It can also mean to provide testimony or to confirm the authenticity or accuracy of something. In legal and administrative contexts it often appears in the sense of officially certifying a signature, a date, or the validity of a document, while in more general use it can mean to testify to a fact or to evidence a claim.

Etymology and related terms: Attestare derives from Latin attestare, linked to the notion of bearing witness, with connections to the idea of evidence and verification. The noun form attestazione denotes the act or result of attesting, and attestato can be used for the past participle in compound tenses or as an adjective meaning attested.

Usage and nuance: Attestare emphasizes verification through evidence or testimony, rather than formal certification by a specific authority. It is common in law, accounting, and formal communications. It is often used with a direct object, as in attestare una firma (to attest a signature), attestare l’autenticità (to attest the authenticity), or attestare che qualcosa sia vero (to attest that something is true). It can also appear in the passive voice: la firma è attestata dal notaio.

Conjugation and forms: Attestare follows regular -are conjugation patterns. Present: io attesto, tu attesti, egli attesta, noi attestiamo, voi attestate, essi attestano. Past participle: attestato. Auxiliary in compound tenses: avere.

See also: attestazione, attestante, attestare vs certificare, testimoniare.