Public Key Certificate

A digital document issued and digitally signed by the private key of a Certificate authority that binds the name of a Subscriber to a public key. The certificate indicates that the Subscriber identified in the certificate has sole control and access to the private key.
SOURCE: SP 800-63

A set of data that unambiguously identifies an entity, contains the entity’s public key, and is digitally signed by a trusted third party (certification authority).
SOURCE: FIPS 196

A set of data that uniquely identifies an entity, contains the entity’s public key, and is digitally signed by a trusted party, thereby binding the public key to the entity.
SOURCE: FIPS 140-2

See Also Certificate.