To attest is to witness the execution of a written instrument and then sign as a witness. The booklet’s definition is straightforward: the witness acts at the request of the person making the instrument and subscribes the document in that witnessing role.
This word matters because New York materials distinguish between the person who executes an instrument, the witness who attests it, and the officer who later takes an acknowledgment or proof. The concepts overlap in practice but they are not interchangeable. A notary who is asked to deal with a subscribing witness, for example, needs to understand the difference between execution, attestation, and proof.
Practical note: “Attest” is a witness word, not a notarial certificate word. It is related to an attestation clause, but it is not the same thing as a jurat or acknowledgment.
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