Forms: 4–6 au- avouche, 5–7 auouch, -owch, 6–7 advouch, 7 auoch, 5– avouch. [a. OF. avochier, ad. L. advocāre. In living use advocāre, by regular phonetic change, became in OF. avoer, avouer; but as Latin continued in legal use, and the technical terms became to some extent popularized, advocāre, in its technical senses of ‘call upon as defender, guarantor,’ etc., was subsequently made French, as avochier, avocier, avoker, which thus became to a certain extent a more technical synonym of avoer; so in Eng. with avouch, avow. Cf. VOUCH.]
I. To appeal or refer for confirmation to some warrant or authority.
† 1. trans. To avouch a thing upon one: to call or cite him as warrant or authority for it; to prove, declare, or state it on his authority. Obs.
1393. Gower, Conf., I. 295. And that I durst right wel avouche Upon her selfe, as for witnesse.
1494. Fabyan, V. civ. 79. I am in dought because of the sayinge of Ranulphe, Monke of Chestre, whiche auowchyth it vpon Wyllyam, wryter of Historyes of Kynges.
† 2. To certify (an account) by reference to, and comparison with, vouchers. Obs.
1540. Househ. Ord. Hen. VIII., in Thynne’s Animadv., Introd. 35. The Clerkes-Comptrollers to goe with him to take the said Remaines to be advouched with him, what the expence shall rise to. Item … the Booke of Comptrollment … shall be put yearly into the Exchequer, to be advoucht to the Cofferers account.
† 3. To appeal to, cite or allege, as warrant, authority or testimony. Obs.
1573. G. Harvey, Letter-bk. (1884), 26. Reasuns he usid none against me, but only avouchid and maintainid M. Osburns.
1579. Fulke, Heskins’s Parl., 220. In none of them can I reade that whiche he aduoucheth out of him.
a. 1619. Fotherby, Atheom., I. vi. § 2. Making God himselfe a lyer: as auouching of him, as a witnesse vnto their lye.
1628. Coke, On Litt., 216 b. For proofe of their opinion they auouch many successions of authorities.
a. 1718. Penn, Life, Wks. 1726, I. 42. I shall avouch the Authorities.
† 4. To establish upon testimony, to prove. Obs.
1588. Thynne, in Animadv., Introd. 92. Whiche I will sufficiently advouche, yf Instances be called for at my handes.
1596. Spenser, State Irel., 490. The certainty of things in times so far from all knowledge, cannot be justly avouched.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., I. 56. Every hair of our head is as a little quill or horn, hollow and transparent. Which seems to be further avouched also by the burning of hair.
1678. R. Barclay, Apol. Quakers, II. § 10. 43. It is by this Spirit, that they avouch themselves to have been converted to God.
II. To give one’s own warrant or assurance; to guarantee, confirm.
5. intr. To give assurance, guarantee, vouch.
1532. Hen. VIII., in Burnet, Hist. Ref., II. 169. Subscribed with your Holiness’s hand, which avouched to confirm the sentence, and not to revoke the commission.
1705. De Foe, Mrs. Veal, Wks. 1840, V. 341. I can avouch for her reputation.
6. trans. To vouch to the certainty of, vouch for, guarantee.
1548. Udall, Erasm. Par., Pref. 5. Voices avouched to haue come from heauen.
a. 1626. Bacon, Max. & Uses Com. Law (1635), 63. The seller must bring one to avouch his sale.
1649. Milton, Eikon., xxviii. 520. Ambrose avouch’d it for the Law of God.
1754. Mackenzie, in Phil. Trans., XLVIII. 820. There are bad accounts from Nicomedia, but none well avouched.
1868. Milman, St. Paul’s, viii. 179. The authority of Erasmus avouches the accomplished scholarship of Pace.
1876. E. Mellor, Priesth., iv. 175. A miracle avouched by the testimony of those who drank the wine.
III. To declare as a thing for which one can bring vouchers.
7. To declare as a thing one can prove, or upon which one offers his own express testimony as a personal witness; to affirm, assert. Now strictly of matters of fact upon which one can give first-hand evidence, formerly also of matters of inference or opinion, on which one might speak with ‘authority.’
1494. Fabyan, VII. ccxxiii. 249. More ouer he avouched, that ye see of Lyncoln belonged to the see of Yorke.
1562. Grindal, Lett., Wks. 1843, 253. I pray you let me understand, whether it may be certainly avouched that the king of Navarre … is killed.
1587. Fleming, Contn. Holinshed, III. 383/1. Declared vnto him, that there was a gentleman of qualitie … that would auouch it to his face.
1604. T. Wright, Climact. Years, 16. I … haue knowne a man, almost with halfe his lungs rotten with a consumption, and yet boldelie auowch that he was strong.
1624. Bedell, Lett., vii. 111. Loe how plainly Saint Augustine auoucheth Purgatorie.
1691. Wood, Ath. Oxon., II/62. I constantly avouch that what I have writ is the truth.
1821. Byron, Juan, III. xxxviii. He did not know (alas! how men will lie!) That a report … Avouch’d his death.
1840. Thackeray, Paris Sk. Bk. (1872), 96. Millions again were ready to avouch the exact contrary.
1845. R. W. Hamilton, Pop. Educ., vi. 129. The true principle is avouched.
1852. Miss Yonge, Cameos, I. xl. 342. His own deposition, as three Cardinals avouched that he had made it before them.
b. intr. To state, declare, assert.
1577. Vautroullier, Luther’s Ep. Gal., 288. So Paule seemeth to auouch in this place.
1681. J. Collins, Glanvill’s Sadducism., Pref. As I have heard him earnestly avouch.
IV. To declare to be one’s own, to acknowledge, AVOW.
8. trans. To acknowledge (or claim) solemnly as one’s own: a. a person. arch.
1579. Tomson, Calvin’s Serm. Tim., 320/2. God auoucheth vs and taketh vs for his children.
1600. Hakluyt, Voy. (1810), III. 300. Not being our subjects, nor by vs any way to be avouched, maintained, or defended.
1611. Bible, Deut. xxvi. 17–18. Thou hast auouched the Lord this day to be thy God … And the Lord hath auouched thee this day to be his peculiar people.
1861. Trench, Sev. Ch. Asia, 183. He was one of God’s hidden ones, but now he is openly avouched.
† b. a thing. Obs.
1597. Morley, Introd. Mus., Ded. So wil I not auouch for mine that which by your censure shal be condemned.
1606. Bp. Carleton, Tithes, v. 26 a. Tithes are euer holy to God … both dedicated to him by man, and aduouched by himselfe.
9. To acknowledge or take the responsibility of an action: a. To acknowledge, sanction, confirm the act of a subordinate agent. arch.
a. 1553. Udall, Royster D., III. ii. Adde what so ever thou canst … And I will avouche it what so ever it bee.
1577. Holinshed, Chron., III. 905/2. He … might speake things that his maister would not auouch.
1597. Daniel, Civ. Wares, III. lxxix. He for whom thou dost this villanie … will not avouch thy fact.
1647. Sprigg, Ang. Rediv., Apol. (1854), 5. That they should … own and avouch them as having been done in their name and by their authority.
1834. Sir H. Taylor, Artevelde, II. V. ii. (1849), 254. Dukes and regal potentates, whose power May currently avouch her doubtful deeds.
b. To acknowledge (any act) as one’s own; to admit, confess, own to. arch.
1606. Bryskett, Civ. Life, 76. The offences done to men may be auouched before Princes and magistrates in iudgement, as no wrongs, but lawfull acts.
1655. Fuller, Ch. Hist., IX. vi. V. 77. Suppose a poor Lay Catholick … to purchase one of these Rhemish Testaments, he durst not avouch the reading thereof.
1862. Trench, Eng. Past & Pr., iii. (ed. 9), 119. Milton in his prose works frequently avouches the peculiar affection to the Italian literature and language which he bore.
10. To acknowledge (a charge), confess, avow.
1649. Milton, Eikon., Wks. 1738, I. 391. Under that excuse avouches himself openly the general Patron of most notorious Delinquents.
1825. Scott, Betrothed, iii. The first time that I have heard one with a beard on his lip avouch himself a coward.
1883. A. Forbes, in 19th Cent., Oct., 721. Men … who avouch that they are … plotting for the disruption of the Union.
V. Combining IV with II.
11. To acknowledge and support or justify; to make good, establish, prove (with).
1590. Marlowe, Edw. II., V. iv. 2371. And will avouch his saying with the sword.
1700. in Coll. Rec. Penn., I. 604. All which several charges hee is readie to avouch and prove.
1852. Miss Yonge, Cameos, II. xiii. 146. Richard … offered to avouch his innocence with his sword.
