vouch
/ˈvaʊt͡ʃ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.13 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To cite or rely on (an authority, a written work, etc.) in support of one's actions or opinions.
Transitive verb
verb
To affirm or warrant the correctness or truth of (something); also, to affirm or warrant (the truth of an assertion or statement).
Transitive verb
verb
To bear witness or testify to the nature or qualities (of someone or something).
Transitive verb
verb
To back, confirm, or support (someone or something) with credible evidence or proof.
Transitive verb
verb
Synonym of vouchsafe (“to condescendingly or graciously give or grant (something)”).
Archaic; Transitive 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, […]"
- "Pray tell us where your moderate (for great ones you acknowledg to do harm, and to be uſeleſs) Penalties have been uſed, with ſuch Succeſs, that we may be paſt doubt too. If you can ſhew no ſuch place, do you not vouch Experience where you have none?"
- "Nay tis moſt credible, we heere receiue it, A certaintie vouch'd from our Coſin Auſtria, […]"
- "Deliuer them this Paper: hauing read it, Bid them repayre to th' Market place, where I Euen in theirs, and in the Commons eares Will vouch the truth of it."
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *wekʷ-, vouchen, vochier, *vocico, voco
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈvaʊt͡ʃ/
- British English: /ˈvaʊt͡ʃ/