justifie

Justifie is a form of the French verb justifier, meaning to provide reasons, explanations, or proof to support a claim, action, or decision. In everyday use it appears in statements such as “Il justifie ses choix” and in formal contexts such as law, business, or academia where justification is a required outcome. The term also appears in typography and text processing, where “justifier” describes aligning text to both margins, yielding a “texte justifié.”

Etymology and meaning: justifier comes from Latin iustificare, from iustus meaning “just” or “lawful” and the suffix -ficare meaning “to make.” The word entered Old French with the sense of proving or validating something and has since broadened to include both rational justification and practical justification in documents, actions, and formatting.

Conjugation and forms: Justifie can be the third-person singular present indicative (il justifie) or the imperative form addressing the informal singular you (tu justifie). The full present tense conjugation is: je justifie, tu justifies, il/elle justifie, nous justifions, vous justifiez, ils/elles justifient. Related forms include the present participle justifiant and the past participle justifié (feminine justifiée). The noun form for the act is justification, and the adjective related is justifié, meaning defended or warranted.

Usage notes: In law and logic, justification denotes reasons that validate a decision or proposition. In writing and publishing, justification refers to text alignment, not to be confused with moral or logical justification. See also justificatif (proof or supporting document) and related terms such as justifié and justification.