term:

Acknowledgment

acknowledgment

also
ac·knowl·edge·ment

n
1 a : the act of acknowledging
b : the act of admitting paternity compare filiation
2 : a thing done or given in recognition of something received [an came in the mail]
3 a : a declaration or avowal of one's act or a fact to give it legal validity
;specif
: a declaration before a duly qualified public officer (as a notary public) by a person who has executed an instrument that the execution was the person's free act and deed
b : the formal certificate made by an officer before whom one has acknowledged a deed including as an essential part the signature and often the seal of the officer

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.