averring

Avering is the act of stating or asserting something as true. The verb aver is formal or emphatic, and in ordinary speech it can be replaced by assert, declare, or claim, though aver is more precise and less common outside formal or literary contexts. The present tense is aver, the present participle averring, the past tense averred; the noun form averment refers to an assertion of fact, especially a claim in legal pleadings.

In legal usage, averting or to aver is a standard term in pleadings. Parties aver facts to establish the elements of a claim or defense. An averment is the factual assertion a party makes in a complaint, answer, or motion, which must later be supported by evidence. Courts may scrutinize averments for sufficiency; vague or conclusory averments can be challenged or require amendment. Outside the courtroom, aver is used in formal writing to emphasize the truth of a statement, often in declarative or assertive prose.

Averment and averment-style language are characteristic of older or ceremonial legal drafting and some jurisdictions still employ it in pleadings and briefs. In modern usage, the term is most likely to appear in legal contexts, academic discussion of pleading standards, or stylized prose, while everyday language favors more common verbs.

Etymology traces the word to Old French averer, meaning to declare true, with the sense linked to truth; the form reflects its historical legal and formal roots, rather than ordinary conversational use. See also aver, averment.