- trueness
- true (tro͞o)adj. tru·er, tru·est1.a. Consistent with fact or reality; not false or erroneous: »
the true cost.
See Synonyms at REAL(Cf. ↑real)1. See Usage Note at FACT(Cf. ↑fact).b. Not counterfeit; real or genuine: »true gold.
See Synonyms at AUTHENTIC(Cf. ↑authentic).c. Conforming to the characteristics or criteria of a group or type; typical: »a true crab; a true gentleman.
d. Properly called: »true value.
2. Reliable; accurate: »a true prophecy.
3. a) Faithful, as to a friend, vow, or cause; loyal. See Synonyms at FAITHFUL(Cf. ↑faithful). b) Archaic Truthful, honest, or trustworthy.4. Sincerely felt or expressed; unfeigned: »true grief.
5. Rightful; legitimate: »the true heir.
6. a) Exactly conforming to a rule, standard, or pattern: »trying to sing true B.
b) Accurately shaped, fitted, or placed: »Are the wheels true?
c) Determined with reference to the earth's axis, not the magnetic poles: »true north.
7. Quick and exact in sensing and responding: »a true ear.
8. Computers Indicating one of two possible values taken by a variable in Boolean logic or a binary device.adv. 1) In accord with reality, fact, or truthfulness. 2) Unswervingly; exactly: »The archer aimed true.
3) So as to conform to a type, standard, or pattern.tr.v. trued, tru·ing or true·ing, trues ▸ To position (something) so as to make it balanced, level, or square: »trued up the long planks.
n. 1) Truth or reality. Used with the. 2) Proper alignment or adjustment: »out of true.
╂ [Middle English trewe, from Old English trēowe, firm, trustworthy; see deru-.]true’ness n.Word History: The words true and tree are joined at the root, etymologically speaking. In Old English, the words looked and sounded much more alike than they do now: "tree" was trēow and "true" was trēowe. The first of these comes from the Germanic noun *trewam; the second, from the adjective *treuwaz. Both these Germanic words ultimately go back to an Indo-European root *deru- or *dreu-, appearing in derivatives referring to wood and, by extension, firmness. Truth may be thought of as something firm; so too can certain bonds between people, like trust, another derivative of the same root. A slightly different form of the root, *dru-, appears in the word druid, a type of ancient Celtic priest; his name is etymologically *dru-wid-, or "strong seer."
Word Histories. 2014.
