cer·ti·fy

[sur-tuh-fahy] verb, cer·ti·fied, cer·ti·fy·ing.
verb (used with object)
1.
to attest as certain; give reliable information of; confirm: He certified the truth of his claim.
2.
to testify to or vouch for in writing: The medical examiner will certify his findings to the court.
3.
to guarantee; endorse reliably: to certify a document with an official seal.
4.
to guarantee (a check) by writing on its face that the account against which it is drawn has sufficient funds to pay it.
5.
to award a certificate to (a person) attesting to the completion of a course of study or the passing of a qualifying examination.
6.
to declare legally insane and committable to a mental institution.
7.
Archaic. to assure or inform with certainty.
verb (used without object)
8.
to give assurance; testify; vouch for the validity of something (usually followed by to ).
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Origin:
1300–50; Middle English certifien < Middle French certifier < Late Latin certificāre, equivalent to Latin certi- (combining form of certus decided; see certain) + -ficāre -fy

Related forms
cer·ti·fi·er, noun
pre·cer·ti·fy, verb (used with object), pre·cer·ti·fied, pre·cer·ti·fy·ing.
re·cer·ti·fy, verb (used with object), re·cer·ti·fied, re·cer·ti·fy·ing.
un·cer·ti·fy·ing, adjective

Synonyms
1. corroborate, verify, validate, guarantee.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To certify
Collins
World English Dictionary
certify (ˈsɜːtɪˌfaɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb , -fies, -fying, -fied
1.  to confirm or attest (to), usually in writing: the letter certified her age
2.  (tr) to endorse or guarantee (that certain required standards have been met)
3.  to give reliable information or assurances: he certified that it was Walter's handwriting
4.  (tr) to declare legally insane
5.  (US), (Canadian) (tr) (of a bank) to state in writing on (a cheque) that payment is guaranteed
 
[C14: from Old French certifier, from Medieval Latin certificāre to make certain, from Latin certuscertain + facere to make]
 
'certifier
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

certify
early 14c., from O.Fr. certifier "make certain," from L.L. certificare, from L. certus (see certain) + root of facere "to make, do" (see factitious).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
They can protect consumers by having sites display payout ratios and by
  refusing to certify dodgy operators.
We require all of our suppliers to certify in writing that they use conflict
  few materials.
But before the students can receive their checks, their colleges must certify
  the veterans' enrollment.
Especially when the application programers will not certify the mainframe apps
  can handle duplicate time stamps.
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