1. The
act of assuring; a declaration tending to
inspire full confidence; that which is designed to
give confidence. "Whereof he hath
given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised
him from the dead." (Acts xvii. 31) "Assurances of support came pouring in daily." (Macaulay)
2. The state of
being assured; company persuasion;
full confidence or trust;
freedom from doubt; certainty. "Let us draw with a true
heart in
full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience." (Heb. X. 22)
3. Firmness of mind; undoubting, steadiness; intrepidity; courage; confidence; self-reliance. "Brave
men meet
danger with assurance." (Knolles) "Conversation with the
world will give them
knowledge and assurance." (Locke)
4. Excess of boldness; impudence; audacity; as,
his assurance is intolerable.
5. Betrothal; affiance.
6. Insurance; a
contract for the payment of a sum on occasion of a determined event, as loss or death.
Recently,
assurance has been used, in England, in
relation to
life contingencies, and
insurance in
relation to another contingencies. It is called
temporary assurance, in the
time within which the contingent event should happen is limited. See Insurance.
7. Any written or another
legal evidence of the conveyance of property; a conveyance; a deed.
In England, the
legal evidences of the conveyance of property are called the
general assurances of the kingdom.
Origin: OE. Assuraunce, F. Assurance, fr. Assurer. See Assure.
Source: Websters Vocabulary