true

pronunciation

How to pronounce true in British English: UK [truː] word uk audio image

How to pronounce true in American English: US [truː] word us audio image

Noun:

proper alignment; the property possessed by something that is in correct or proper alignment
Verb:

make level, square, balanced, or concentric
Adjective:

consistent with fact or reality; not false
not synthetic or spurious; of real or natural origin
conforming to definitive criteria
accurately placed or thrown
devoted (sometimes fanatically) to a cause or concept or truth
expressing or given to expressing the truth
worthy of being depended on
not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed
rightly so called
determined with reference to the earth's axis rather than the magnetic poles
having a legally established claim
in tune; accurate in pitch
accurately fitted; level
reliable as a basis for action
Adverb:

as acknowledged

Word Origin

true: true: [OE] The underlying etymological meaning of true is ‘faithful, steadfast, firm’; ‘in accordance with the facts’ is a secondary development. It goes back to the prehistoric Germanic base *treww-, which also produced German treue and Dutch trouw ‘faithful’ and the English noun truce, and it has been speculated that it may ultimately have links with the Indo- European base *dru- ‘wood, tree’ (source of English tree), the semantic link being the firmness or steadfastness of oaks and suchlike trees. Truth [OE] comes from the same source, as do its derivative betroth [14], its now archaic variant troth [16], the equally dated trow [OE], and probably also trust and tryst.=> betroth, troth, trow, truce, trust, truth, tryst

true (adj.): Old English triewe (West Saxon), treowe (Mercian) "faithful, trustworthy, honest, steady in adhering to promises, friends, etc.," from Proto-Germanic *treuwaz- "having or characterized by good faith" (cognates: Old Frisian triuwi, Dutch getrouw, Old High German gatriuwu, German treu, Old Norse tryggr, Danish tryg, Gothic triggws "faithful, trusty"), from PIE *drew-o-, a suffixed form of the root *deru-/*dreu- "be firm, solid, steadfast" (cognates: Lithuanian drutas "firm," Welsh drud, Old Irish dron "strong," Welsh derw "true," Old Irish derb "sure"), with specialized sense "wood, tree" and derivatives referring to objects made of wood (see tree (n.)). Sense of "consistent with fact" first recorded c. 1200; that of "real, genuine, not counterfeit" is from late 14c.; that of "conformable to a certain standard" (as true north) is from c. 1550. Of artifacts, "accurately fitted or shaped" it is recorded from late 15c. True-love (n.) is Old English treowlufu. True-born (adj.) first attested 1590s. True-false (adj.) as a type of test question is recorded from 1923. To come true (of dreams, etc.) is from 1819.

true (v.): "make true in position, form, or adjustment," 1841, from true (adj.) in the sense "agreeing with a certain standard." Related: Trued; truing.

adj.

adj.