A statement or assertion made in opposition to another's claim or assertion; a contradictory declaration.
From counter- + averment (a positive declaration or assertion, from Old French averer meaning to assert, from Latin ad- + verus meaning true). This is a legal and archaic term.
In medieval and early modern legal proceedings, counteraverment was how defendants fought back—instead of presenting evidence, they could make a blanket counter-assertion that put the burden back on the accuser, a clever move that influenced modern legal procedure.
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