Word: warrant Part of Speech: verb 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. Pronunciation: /ˈwɒɹənt/, /ˈwɔɹənt/, /ˈwɑɹənt/ 1. To protect, keep safe (from danger). Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: [A]ll honeſt meanes for a man to warrant him-ſelfe from euills, are not onely tolerable, but commendable. Example: I'le warrant him for drowning, though the Ship were no ſtronger then a Nutt-ſhell, and as leaky as an vnſtanched wench. 2. To give (someone) an assurance or guarantee (of something); also, with a double object: to guarantee (someone something). Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: Crato in a conſultation of his for a noble patient, tels him plainly, that if his Highneſſe will keepe but a good diet, hee will warrant him his former health. Example: The warranty that a ship shall sail on a given day must be strictly performed. Thus, if a ship, warranted to sail on or before a particular day, be prevented from sailing on that day by an embargo, the warranty is not complied with. 3. To guarantee (something) to be (of a specified quality, value, etc.). Labels: transitive Example: Tuc[ca]. [...] Can thy Author doe it impudently enough? / Hiſt[rio]. O, I warrant you, Captaine: and ſpitefully inough too; he ha's one of the moſt ouerflowing villanous wits, in Rome. He will ſlander any man that breathes; If he diſguſt him. / Tucca. I'le know the poor, egregious, nitty Raſcall; and he haue ſuch commendable Qualities, I'le cheriſh him: [...] Example: The chief mate of the Pequod was Starbuck, a native of Nantucket, and a Quaker by descent. [...] His pure tight skin was an excellent fit; and closely wrapped up in it, and embalmed with inner health and strength, like a revivified Egyptian, this Starbuck seemed prepared to endure for long ages to come, and to endure always, as now; for be it Polar snow or torrid sun, like a patent chronometer, his interior vitality was warranted to do well in all climates. 4. To guarantee as being true; (colloquial) to believe strongly. Labels: transitive Example: That tree is going to fall, I’ll warrant. Example: "I warrant you," said Chiffinch the female, nodding, but rather to her own figure reflected from a mirror, than to her politic husband, "I warrant you we will find means of occupying him that will sufficiently fill up his time." 5. To authorize; to give (someone) sanction or warrant (to do something). Labels: transitive Example: I am warranted to search these premises fully. Example: [S]ince by our commission we are not warranted to treat but with the noblemen named by his majesty with the advice of the peers, and are particularly warranted to make exception against the earl of Traquair, for his malversation in the matter of the assembly and parliament, [...] 6. To justify; to give grounds for. Labels: transitive Example: Circumstances arose that warranted the use of lethal force. Example: A strong pressure was brought by consumers to this end; but neither the combinations nor the independent interests have felt that the pressure was sufficiently strong in warranting them in making a cut.