Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 06, 2012 is:

validate • \VAL-uh-dayt\  • verb
1 a : to make legally valid : ratify b : to grant official sanction to by marking c : to confirm the validity of (an election); also : to declare (a person) elected 2 a : to support or corroborate on a sound or authoritative basis b : to recognize, establish, or illustrate the worthiness or legitimacy of

Examples:
The student pointed out that these days it was easy enough to find evidence on the Internet to validate almost any conclusion.

"'There is a misinformed tendency to think that the emphasis on the exterior will dilute the importance of what lies within,' said Mr. [Charles] Pocock, referring to the Gulf’s museums. 'However, any art historian will validate that architecture is the most visible expression of a culture.'" — From an article by Vinita Bharadwaj, in the New York Times, March 20, 2012

Did you know?
"Validate," "confirm," "corroborate," "substantiate," "verify," and "authenticate" all mean to attest to the truth or validity of something. "Validate" implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or factual proof ("a hypothesis validated by experiments"). "Confirm" implies the removing of doubts by an authoritative statement or indisputable fact ("evidence that confirmed the reports") "Corroborate" suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established ("witnesses who corroborated the story") "Substantiate" implies the offering of evidence that sustains the contention ("claims that have yet to be substantiated"). "Verify" implies the establishing of correspondence of actual facts or details with those proposed or guessed at ("statements of fact that have been verified"). "Authenticate" implies establishing genuineness by legal or official documents or expert opinion ("handwriting experts who authenticated the diaries").

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 05, 2012 is:

putative • \PYOO-tuh-tiv\  • adjective
1 : commonly accepted or supposed 2 : assumed to exist or to have existed

Examples:
Corporate restructuring and a need to cut costs were the putative reasons for the layoffs.

"The phrase 'wacky woman' was being tossed about frequently in descriptions of Maryland's putative lottery winner…." — From an article by Susan Reimer in the Baltimore Sun, April 4, 2012

Did you know?
There's no need to make assumptions about the root behind "putative"; scholars are quite certain the word comes from Latin "putatus," the past participle of the verb "putare," which means "to consider" or "to think." "Putative" has been part of English since the 15th century, and it often shows up in legal contexts. For instance, a "putative marriage" is one that is believed to be legal by at least one of the parties involved. When that trusting person finds out that his or her marriage is not sanctioned by law, other "putare" derivatives, such as "dispute," "disreputable," "reputed," "imputation," and "deputy," may come into play.