verisimilitude

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the appearance of truth or resemblance to reality

   The author's attention to detail lends the story verisimilitude.

2. 2
   noun

   Faithfulness to its own rules; internal cohesion.

   On July 12, Madame filed suit for divorce, naming one Jane McManus as his principal mistress. Other adulteries were noted in the interest of verisimilitude.

3. 3
   noun

   The property of seeming true, of resembling reality; resemblance to reality.

4. 4
   noun

   A statement which merely appears to be true.

Etymology

From Middle French vérisimilitude, from Latin vērīsimilitūdō (“likeness to truth”), more correctly written separately as vērī similitūdō; from vērī, genitive singular of vērus (“true, real”), + similitūdō (“likeness, resemblance”).