assurance

  • noun 1 a positive declaration intended to give confidence. 2 confidence or certainty in one’s own abilities. 3 chiefly Brit. life insurance.

  — USAGE In the context of life insurance, a technical distinction is made between assurance and insurance. Assurance is used of policies under whose terms a payment is guaranteed, either after a fixed term or on the death of the insured person; insurance is the general term, and is used in particular of policies under whose terms a payment would be made only in certain circumstances (e.g. accident or death within a limited period).

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