adjective tru·er,
tru·est a. Consistent with fact or reality; not false or erroneous. See Synonyms at
real1. See Usage Note at
fact.
b. Truthful.
- Real; genuine. See Synonyms at authentic.
- Reliable; accurate: a true prophecy.
- Faithful, as to a friend, vow, or cause; loyal. See Synonyms at faithful.
- Sincerely felt or expressed; unfeigned: true grief.
- Fundamental; essential: his true motive.
- Rightful; legitimate: the true heir.
- Exactly conforming to a rule, standard, or pattern: trying to sing true B.
- Accurately shaped or fitted: a true wheel.
- Accurately placed, delivered, or thrown.
- Quick and exact in sensing and responding.
- Determined with reference to the earth's axis, not the magnetic poles: true north.
- Conforming to the definitive criteria of a natural group; typical: The horseshoe crab is not a true crab.
- Narrowly particularized; highly specific: spoke of probity in the truest sense of the word.
- Computer Science Indicating one of two possible values taken by a variable in Boolean logic or a binary device.
adverb- In accord with reality, fact, or truthfulness.
- Unswervingly; exactly: The archer aimed true.
- So as to conform to a type, standard, or pattern.
transitive verb trued trued,
tru·ing or
true·ing,
trues To position (something) so as to make it balanced, level, or square: trued up the long planks.
noun- Truth or reality. Used with the.
- Proper alignment or adjustment: out of true.
Origin:
Origin: Middle English trewe
Origin: , from Old English trēowe, firm, trustworthy; see deru- in Indo-European roots
.
Related Forms:
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.”