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true

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true

[troo] adjective, tru⋅er, tru⋅est, noun, adverb, verb, trued, tru⋅ing or true⋅ing.
–adjective
1. being in accordance with the actual state or conditions; conforming to reality or fact; not false: a true story.
2. real; genuine; authentic: true gold; true feelings.
3. sincere; not deceitful: a true interest in someone's welfare.
4. firm in allegiance; loyal; faithful; steadfast: a true friend.
5. being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something: the true meaning of his statement.
6. conforming to or consistent with a standard, pattern, or the like: a true copy.
7. exact; precise; accurate; correct: a true balance.
8. of the right kind; such as it should be; proper: to arrange things in their true order.
9. properly so called; rightly answering to a description: true statesmanship.
10. legitimate or rightful: the true heir.
11. reliable, unfailing, or sure: a true sign.
12. exactly or accurately shaped, formed, fitted, or placed, as a surface, instrument, or part of a mechanism.
13. honest; honorable; upright.
14. Biology. conforming to the type, norm, or standard of structure of a particular group; typical: The lion is a true cat.
15. Animal Husbandry. purebred.
16. Navigation. (of a bearing, course, etc.) determined in relation to true north.
17. Archaic. truthful.
–noun
18. exact or accurate formation, position, or adjustment: to be out of true.
19. the true, something that is true; truth.
–adverb
20. in a true manner; truly; truthfully.
21. exactly or accurately.
22. in conformity with the ancestral type: to breed true.
–verb (used with object)
23. to make true; shape, adjust, place, etc., exactly or accurately: to true the wheels of a bicycle after striking a pothole.
24. (esp. in carpentry) to make even, symmetrical, level, etc. (often fol. by up): to true up the sides of a door.
25. come true, to have the expected or hoped-for result; become a reality: She couldn't believe that her dream would ever come true.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME trewe (adj. and adv.), OE trēowe (adj.) loyal, trusty, honest (see trow, truce ); akin to D trouw, G treu, ON tryggr, Goth triggws


trueness, noun


1. factual, veracious. See real 1 . 3. honest. 4. trustworthy; staunch, constant, steady, unwavering. 7. faithful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To true
true   (trōō)   
adj.   tru·er, tru·est
    1. Consistent with fact or reality; not false or erroneous. See Synonyms at real1. See Usage Note at fact.

    2. Truthful.

  1. Real; genuine. See Synonyms at authentic.

  2. Reliable; accurate: a true prophecy.

  3. Faithful, as to a friend, vow, or cause; loyal. See Synonyms at faithful.

  4. Sincerely felt or expressed; unfeigned: true grief.

  5. Fundamental; essential: his true motive.

  6. Rightful; legitimate: the true heir.

  7. Exactly conforming to a rule, standard, or pattern: trying to sing true B.

  8. Accurately shaped or fitted: a true wheel.

  9. Accurately placed, delivered, or thrown.

  10. Quick and exact in sensing and responding.

  11. Determined with reference to the earth's axis, not the magnetic poles: true north.

  12. Conforming to the definitive criteria of a natural group; typical: The horseshoe crab is not a true crab.

  13. Narrowly particularized; highly specific: spoke of probity in the truest sense of the word.

  14. Computer Science 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- in Indo-European roots.]
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."
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

true 
O.E. triewe (W.Saxon), treowe (Mercian) "faithful, trustworthy," from P.Gmc. *trewwjaz "having or characterized by good faith" (cf. O.Fris. triuwi, Du. getrouw, O.H.G. gatriuwu, Ger. treu, O.N. tryggr, Goth. triggws "faithful, trusty"), perhaps ultimately from PIE *dru- "tree," on the notion of "steadfast as an oak." Cf., from same root, Lith. drutas "firm," Welsh drud, O.Ir. dron "strong," Welsh derw "true," O.Ir. derb "sure." Sense of "consistent with fact" first recorded c.1205; that of "real, genuine, not counterfeit" is from 1398; that of "agreeing with a certain standard" (as true north) is from c.1550. Of artifacts, "accurately fitted or shaped" it is recorded from 1474; the verb in this sense is from 1841. Truism "self-evident truth" is from 1708, first attested in writings of Swift. True-love (adj.) is recorded from 1495; true-born first attested 1591. True-false as a type of test question is recorded from 1923.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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