Affiant - Law Dictionary Search Results
Home Dictionary Name: affiantaffiant
affiant [Middle French, from present participle of affier to pledge faith, swear, from Medieval Latin affidare, ultimately from Latin ad to + fidere to trust] : a person who swears to an affidavit compare deponent, witness ...
affidavit
affidavit [Medieval Latin, he/she has pledged faith, third singular perfect of affidare see affiant ] : a sworn statement in writing made esp. under oath or on affirmation before an authorized magistrate or officer compare deposition, examination ...
deponent
deponent : a person who gives a deposition compare affiant, witness ...
witness
witness [Old English witnes knowledge, testimony, witness, from wit mind, sense, knowledge] 1 a : attestation of a fact or event [in whereof the parties have executed this release] b : evidence (as of the authenticity of a conveyance by deed) furnished by signature, oath, or seal 2 : one who gives evidence regarding matters of fact under inquiry ;specif : one who testifies or is legally qualified to testify in a case or to give evidence before a judicial tribunal or similar inquiry [a before a congressional committee] [no person…shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a against himself "U.S. Constitution amend. V"] compare affiant, deponent adverse witness : a witness who is called by or associated with an opposing party or who by statement, conduct, or other evidence (as of relationship) shows bias against or is injurious to the case of the party by whom the witness is called [sought to have his witness declared an adverse witness subject to impeachment] called als...
Oath
Oath [fr. ath, Sax.], an appeal to God to witness the truth of a statement. It is called a corporal oath, where a witness, when he swears, places his right hand on the Holy Evangelists.The Christian religion, though it prohibits swearing, excepts oaths required by legal authority (Art. Ch. of Engl. xxxix.). All who believe in a God, the avenger of falsehood, have always been admitted to give evidence, but the old rule was, that all witnesses must take an oath of some kind. Very gradually, however, the legislature has relaxed this rule, and the privilege of affirming (see AFFIRMATION) instead of taking an oath has now been universally granted by the (English) Oaths Act, 1888, by which--Every person upon objection to being sworn, and stating, as the ground of such objection, either that he has no religious belief, or that the taking of an oath is contrary to his religious belief, shall be permitted to make his solemn affirmation instead of taking an oath in all places and for all purpose...
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