true

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Agreeing with the facts; correct and not made up.

   This is a true story.

2. 2
   adj

   Real and genuine, not false or only seeming so.

   A true friend will stand by you in hard times.

3. 3
   adj

   Loyal and faithful to someone or something.

   He stayed true to his promise despite the pressure.

4. 4
   adj

   Exact and accurate; matching a model or standard.

   Please make a true copy of the original document.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

True is an Old English word from the same root as truce and truth. It originally meant “loyal” or “steadfast,” then developed the senses “reliable,” “honest,” and finally “in accordance with truth.”

From Middle English trewe, from Old English trīewe, (Mercian) trēowe (“trusty, faithful”), from Proto-Germanic *triwwiz (compare Saterland Frisian trjou (“honest”), Dutch getrouw and trouw, German treu, Norwegian and Swedish trygg (“safe, secure’”)), from pre-Germanic *drewh₂yos, from Proto-Indo-European *drewh₂- (“steady, firm”) (compare Irish dearbh (“sure”), Old Prussian druwis (“faith”), Ancient Greek δροόν (droón, “firm”)), extension of *dóru (“tree”) (possibly also Proto-Slavic *sъdorvъ (“healthy”) from the same root). More at tree. For the semantic development, compare Latin robustus (“…

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary