avers

Avers is the third-person singular present tense of the verb aver, meaning to declare or assert something as true. The term is formal and is most commonly encountered in legal, scholarly, or ceremonial contexts, where a party may avers a fact in a pleading or argument. The corresponding noun is averment, referring to a statement of fact that a party asserts as true; the plural averments is used when multiple asserted facts are listed.

Etymology: The verb derives from Middle English averen, from Old French averer, with roots in the medieval legal and rhetorical vocabulary of Western Europe. In modern English, avers is chiefly used in formal prose and is far less common in everyday speech.

Usage notes: In legal writing, to aver a fact is to allege it as true for purposes of the case; the word carries a sense of formal assertion rather than a casual claim. Avers can be contrasted with deny or contend. Example: The plaintiff avers that the contract was signed on a specific date. The defense avers that the claim lacks supporting evidence.

See also: averment, assertion, allegation, claim, deny.