Chad Brodgesell
CERTIFICATE, n. (15c) 1. A document in which a fact is formally attested <death certificate>. See STOCK CERTIFICATE. 2. A document certifying the bearer's status or authorization to act in a specific way <nursing certificate>. 3. A notice by one court to another court of the action it has taken <when issuing its opinion, the Seventh Circuit sent a certificate to the Illinois Supreme Court>. Black's Law 9th Edition
The ONLY definition the certificate fits into is the first one.