warrant
UK /ˈwɒɹənt/ · US /ˈwɔɹənt/ noun, verb
Forms warrants warranting warranted warraunt
- noun Authorization or certification; a sanction, as given by a superior.
- noun (countable) Something that provides assurance or confirmation; a guarantee or proof. “a warrant of authenticity; a warrant for success”
- noun (countable) An order that serves as authorization; especially a voucher authorizing payment or receipt of money.
- noun (finance, countable) An option, usually issued together with another security and with a term at issue greater than a year, to buy other securities of the issuer.
- noun (law, countable) A judicial writ authorizing an officer to make a search, seizure, or arrest, or to execute a judgment. “an arrest warrant issued by the court”
- noun (countable) A certificate of appointment given to a warrant officer.
- noun (New Zealand, road transport, countable) A document certifying that a motor vehicle meets certain standards of mechanical soundness and safety; a warrant of fitness.
- noun (obsolete, countable) A defender, a protector.
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To protect, keep safe (from danger).
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To give (someone) an assurance or guarantee (of something); also, with a double object: to guarantee (someone something).
- verb (transitive) To guarantee (something) to be (of a specified quality, value, etc.).
- verb (transitive) To guarantee as being true; (colloquial) to believe strongly. “That tree is going to fall, I’ll warrant.”
- verb (transitive) To authorize; to give (someone) sanction or warrant (to do something). “I am warranted to search these premises fully.”
- verb (transitive) To justify; to give grounds for. “Circumstances arose that warranted the use of lethal force.”
Synonyms
allowance mandate sanction authority authorization clearance consent leave license permission permit warren earth stock warrant stock-purchase warrant countenance endorsement indorsement imprimatur guarantee warrantee warranty justify
Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English warant (“protector; guard, shield, protection”), from Anglo-Norman warrant, Old Northern French warant, warand, a variant of Old French guarant, garant, garand (“assurance, guarantee; authorization, permission; protector; protection, safety”) (modern French garant), from Frankish *warand, present participle of *warjan (“to fend off; to stop, thwart”). The word is cognate with Old High German werento (“guarantor”).
The verb is derived from Middle English warrant, waranten (“to give protection; to protect, shield; to assure, pledge, promise; to guarantee”), from Anglo-Norman warantir, warandir, warentir, and Old Northern French warandir, warantir, variant forms of Old French guarantir (“to protect”) (modern French garantir), a Romance formation from the noun guarant: see above.
Webster’s 1913
- noun That which warrants or authorizes; a commission giving authority, or justifying the doing of anything; an act, instrument, or obligation, by which one person authorizes another to do something which he has not otherwise a right to do; an act or instrument investing one with a right or authority, and thus securing him from loss or damage; commission; authority. Specifically: -- (a) A writing which authorizes a person to receive money or other thing.
- noun That which vouches or insures for anything; guaranty; security.
- verb To make secure; to give assurance against harm; to guarantee safety to; to give authority or power to do, or forbear to do, anything by which the person authorized is secured, or saved harmless, from any loss or damage by his action.
- verb To support by authority or proof; to justify; to maintain; to sanction; as, reason warrants it. True fortitude is seen in great exploits, That justice warrants, and that wisdom guides. Addison.
Etymology [OE. warant, OF. warant a warrant, a defender, protector, F. garant, originally a p. pr. pf German origin, fr. OHG. weren to grant, warrant, G. gewähren; akin to OFries. wera. Cf. Guarantee.]
Etymology [OE. waranten, OF. warantir, garantir, guarantir, garentir, garandir, F. garantir to warrant, fr. OF. warant, garant, guarant, a warrant, a protector, a defender, F. garant. sq. root142. See Warrant, n.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “warrant”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details