From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Confirm \Con*firm"\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Confrmed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Confirming}.] [OE. confermen, confirmen, OF. confermer, F. confirmer, fr. L. confirmare; con- + firmare to make firm, fr. firmus firm. See {Firm}.]
1. To make firm or firmer; to add strength to; to establish; as, health is confirmed by exercise.
Confirm the crown to me and to mine heirs. --Shak.
And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law. --Ps. cv. 10.
2. To strengthen in judgment or purpose.
Confirmed, then, I resolve Adam shall share with me in bliss or woe. --Milton.
3. To give new assurance of the truth of; to render certain; to verify; to corroborate; as, to confirm a rumor.
Your eyes shall witness and confirm my tale. --Pope.
These likelihoods confirm her flight. --Shak.
4. To render valid by formal assent; to complete by a necessary sanction; to ratify; as, to confirm the appoinment of an official; the Senate confirms a treaty.
That treaty so prejudicial ought to have been remitted rather than confimed. --Swift.
5. (Eccl.) To administer the rite of confirmation to. See {Confirmation}, 3.
Those which are thus confirmed are thereby supposed to be fit for admission to the sacrament. --Hammond.
Syn: To strengthen; corroborate; substantiate; establish; fix; ratify; settle; verify; assure.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
adjective
1: indicating existence or presence of a suspected condition or pathogen; "a positive pregnancy test" [syn: {positive}] [ant: {negative}]
2: serving to support or corroborate; "collateral evidence" [syn: {collateral}, {confirmative}, {confirmatory}, {corroborative}, {corroboratory}, {substantiating}, {substantiative}, {validating}, {validatory}, {verificatory}, {verifying}]
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