confirmare

Confirmare is a Latin verb of the first conjugation meaning to make firm, to strengthen, or to establish and verify. The word derives from con- (together, with) and firmare (to make firm), ultimately from the adjective firmus (firm, strong). In classical Latin, confirmare covers both literal and figurative senses of strengthening or validating something, such as a decision, a bond, a claim, or a condition, and it can also mean to encourage or assure.

Morphology and principal parts: confirmō, confirmāre, confirmāvī, confirmātum. The form confirms its status as a 1st-conjugation verb. Present active indicative: confirmō, confirmās, confirmat, confirmāmus, confirmātis, confirmant. Imperfect: confirmābam, confirmābās, confirmābat, etc. Perfect: confirmāvī, confirmāvistī, confirmāvit, etc. Supine: confirmātum. Passive: confirmor, confirmāris, confirmātur, confirmāmur, confirmāminī, confirmantur. Participles include confirmāns (present), confirmātus (perfect passive); the abstract noun is confirmātiō or confirmātiōnis (confirmation, verification).

Usage and scope: in classical prose, confirmare often appears with objects such as rem, legēs, pacta, fidem, to denote making firm or proving true, as in “rem confirmāre” or “pacta confirmāre.” In ecclesiastical Latin, the term underpins the sense of strengthening faith, and the related noun confirmatio becomes the technical term for the sacrament of Confirmation.

Derivatives and influence: the verb yields Latin-named forms and has given rise to Romance-language verbs such as Italian confermare, Spanish confirmar, Portuguese confirmar, and French confirmer; English inheritances include confirm, confirmation, and confirmatory.