vouch

Definition

To call on (someone) to be a witness to something.

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle English vouchen (“to call, summon; to provide; to make available, proffer; to affirm, declare formally”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman vocher, voucher, woucher, and Old French vocher, voucher, vochier (“to call, summon; to claim; to call upon, invoke; to denounce”) [and other forms], from Vulgar Latin *vocicāre, derived from Latin vocāre (“to call, summon; to call upon, invoke; to designate, name; to bring or put (into a condition or state”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wekʷ- (“to sound out; to speak”). Verb sense 8.1 (“to summon (someone) into court to establish a warranty of title to land”) in the form vouch to warrant or vouch to warranty is a calque from Anglo-Norman and Old French voucher a garant. The noun is derived from the verb.

Example Sentences

• "Nor need I ſpeak my Deeds, for thoſe you ſee, The Sun and Day are Witneſſes for me. Let him who fights unſeen, relate his own, And vouch the ſilent Stars, and conſcious Moon."
• "But the most catholike and renoumed doctours of Christes religion in the corroboration of their argumentes and sentences, do alledge the same histories and vouche (as I mought say) to their ayde the autoritie of the writars."
• "[F]or more credit to vvhich aſſertion hee vouched ſundry books, and acts, […]"

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