Origin: Latin suffix -ance
Assurance has 5 different meanings across 1 category:
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
"his assurance in his superiority did not make him popular"
"after that failure he lost his confidence"
"she spoke with authority"
a statement intended to inspire confidence
"the President's assurances were not respected"
a British term for some kinds of insurance
"The farmer signed his new crop assurance to protect against potential frost damage."
The act of assuring; a declaration tending to inspire full confidence; that which is designed to give confidence.
"Her warm smile and gentle words offered an assurance that everything would be fine, putting the nervous child completely at ease."
In plain English: Assurance is a confident promise that something will definitely happen or be true.
"Her warm smile and confident tone gave me great assurance that I made the right choice."
Usage: Use assurance to describe a confident statement or promise given to make someone feel certain about something. It differs from insurance, which is financial protection against loss.
The word assurance entered English from the Old French asseürance. It originally referred to a state of being assured or made secure before evolving into its modern sense.