certifies

Certifies is the third-person singular present tense of the verb certify. It means to officially attest that something is true, valid, or in compliance with a standard, usually by issuing a certificate or endorsement.

Etymology traces certify to Old French certifier, via Latin certificare, from certus “certain” and facere “to make.” In English, certify has long been used in legal and administrative contexts and has expanded to many professional, commercial, and educational domains.

Common uses include government or regulatory contexts where an authority verifies compliance, such as an inspector certifying that goods meet safety requirements; accounting or auditing where professionals certify that financial statements are complete and accurate; and professional bodies that certify individuals as meeting standards for a given field. In product and process contexts, certification often involves conformity to established standards set by recognized bodies.

Grammatical notes: The base form is certify; its forms include certifies (present third person), certifying (present participle), and certified (simple past and past participle). In sentences with singular subjects, certifies is used: “The agency certifies the product.”

See also: certification, certificate, certifier.