Serving to confirm, verify, or provide confirmation; giving additional evidence or support that something is true.
From Latin 'confirmatorius' (serving to confirm). The suffix '-atory' comes from Latin '-atorius' and indicates a function or tendency. This is one of the most productive suffix patterns in English.
In science and medicine, 'confirmatory tests' are absolutely crucial—you run an initial test, and if positive, you run a confirmatory test to make sure, which is why the word appears constantly in clinical trials and research protocols.
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