declaration

Etymology

From Middle English declaration, declaracion, declaracioun, from Old French declaration (French déclaration), from Latin dēclārātiōnem, accusative of Latin dēclārātiō.

noun

1. A written or oral indication of a fact, opinion, intention, belief, etc.
   a declaration of love
2. A list of items for various legal purposes, e.g. customs declaration.
3. The act or process of declaring.
4. (cricket) The act, by the captain of a batting side, of declaring an innings closed.
5. (law) In common law, the formal document specifying plaintiff's cause of action, including the facts necessary to sustain a proper cause of action, and to advise the defendant of the grounds upon which he is being sued.
6. (computing) The specification of an object, such as a variable or function, establishing its existence but not necessarily describing its contents.