compurgator
Meanings
noun
- Someone who vouches for another person's innocence, trustworthiness etc.
- A character witness in canon law who swore an oath that the accused was innocent.
- An ‘oath-helper’ in Anglo-Saxon or Germanic law who testified to the character of an accused person.
Word forms
Etymology
From Medieval Latin compurgator or Middle French compurgateur, from Latin compurgō (“to purify”).
Related words
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