Acknowledgment - The act of admitting or recognizing the existence of an agreement by signing as evidence of one's intention that the agreement shall be binding and in full force and effect.

Affiant - The person who takes an oath or affirmation, and signs an affidavit.

Apostille - Certificate of authority required by the Hague Convention. Apostilles streamline the authentication of notarized documents sent between countries who participated in the Convention. This document is only issued by the lieutenant governor's office.

Attorney-In-Fact - A person, not necessarily a lawyer, who is given authority to sign or act on behalf of another individual through a document called a power of attorney.

Certificate of Acknowledgement - A written statement affixed to a document, signed, and sealed by an authorized official that states in a form, usually prescribed by law, that the official took the acknowledgment of the person who signed the document.

Certificate of Authority - Paper stating that the signature and seal on an attached document belong to a legitimate Notary.

Hague Convention - A treaty signed by over 30 nations, including the United States, that simplifies authentication of notarized documents sent between nations. (Full name is, "Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents.")

Jurat - Notarial act in which a notary certifies having watched the signing of a document and administered an oath or affirmation in which the signer declares the document to be truthful and accurate.

L.S - Abbreviation for the Latin term locus sigilli meaning "place of the seal", sometimes appearing on notarial certificates.

Notarial Certificate - Wording completed, signed, and sealed by a notary that states the particulars of a notarization and appears at the end of a signed document or on a paper attached to it. (See page 16 for example.)

Notarial Misconduct - Notary's violation of a law, regulation, official directive, or expected standards of honesty, care or good judgment, usually in executing a notarization.

Notary Public - Person of proven integrity appointed by government to serve the public as an impartial witness, with duties specified by law.

Power of Attorney - Document empowering an attorney-in-fact to sign or act for a principal; authorization to sign or act for a principal as attorney-in-fact.

S.S. - Abbreviation for the Latin term Scilicet, meaning "to wit, namely." Printed near the venue of a certificate of acknowledgment.

Subscribe - To sign, to write one's signature.

Testimonium Clause - At the end of many documents and certificates that follows the form "witness my hand and seal" or some variation thereof.

Venue - Location (state and judicial district) where a notarization is performed, as indicated at the top of most notarial certificates. (See page 16 for example.)