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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
True \True\ (tr[udd]), adjective [Compar. {Truer} (tr[udd]"[~e]r); superl. {Truest}.] [OE. trewe, AS. tre['o]we faithful, true, from tre['o]w fidelity, faith, troth; akin to OFries. triuwe, adjective, treuwa, noun, OS. triuwi, adjective, trewa, noun, D. trouw, adjective & n., G. treu, adjective, treue, noun, OHG. gitriuwi, adjective, triuwa, n., Icel. tryggr, adjective, Dan. tro, adjective & n., Sw. trogen, adjective, tro, noun, Goth. triggws, adjective, triggwa, noun, trauan to trust, OPruss druwis faith. Cf. {Trow}, {Trust}, {Truth}.]
1. Conformable to fact; in accordance with the actual state of things; correct; not false, erroneous, inaccurate, or the like; as, a true relation or narration; a true history; a declaration is true when it states the facts.
2. Right to precision; conformable to a rule or pattern; exact; accurate; as, a true copy; a true likeness of the original.
Making his eye, foot, and hand keep true time. --Sir W. Scott.
3. Steady in adhering to friends, to promises, to a prince, or the like; unwavering; faithful; loyal; not false, fickle, or perfidious; as, a true friend; a wife true to her husband; an officer true to his charge.
Thy so true, So faithful, love unequaled. --Milton.
Dare to be true: nothing can need a lie. --Herbert.
4. Actual; not counterfeit, adulterated, or pretended; genuine; pure; real; as, true balsam; true love of country; a true Christian.
The true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. --John i. 9.
True ease in writing comes from art, not chance. --Pope.
5. (Biol.) Genuine; real; not deviating from the essential characters of a class; as, a lizard is a true reptile; a whale is a true, but not a typical, mammal. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
Note: True is sometimes used elliptically for It is true.
{Out of true}, varying from correct mechanical form, alignment, adjustment, etc.; -- said of a wall that is not perpendicular, of a wheel whose circumference is not in the same plane, and the like. [Colloq.]
{A true bill} (Law), a bill of indictment which is returned by the grand jury so indorsed, signifying that the charges to be true.
{True time}. See under {Time}.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
true
adjective
1: consistent with fact or reality; not false; "the story is true"; "it is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatever for supposing it true"- B. Russell; "the true meaning of the statement" [ant: {false}]
2: not synthetic or spurious; of real or natural origin; "real mink"; "true gold" [syn: {real}]
3: conforming to definitive criteria; "the horseshoe crab is not a true crab"; "Pythagoras was the first true mathematician"
4: accurately placed or thrown; "his aim was true"; "he was dead on target" [syn: {dead on target}]
5: devoted (sometimes fanatically) to a cause or concept or truth; "true believers bonded together against all who disagreed with them"
6: expressing or given to expressing the truth; "a true statement"; "gave truthful testimony"; "a truthful person" [syn: {truthful}] [ant: {untruthful}]
7: worthy of being depended on; "a dependable worker"; "an honest working stiff"; "a reliable source of information"; "he was true to his word"; "I would be true for there are those who trust me" [syn: {dependable}, {honest}, {reliable}, {true(p)}]
8: not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed; "genuine emotion"; "her interest in people was unfeigned"; "true grief" [syn: {genuine}, {true(a)}, {unfeigned}]
9: rightly so called; "true courage"; "a spirit which true men have always admired"; "a true friend" [syn: {true(a)}]
10: determined with reference to the earth's axis rather than the magnetic poles; "true north is geographic north" [syn: {true(a)}]
11: having a legally established claim; "the legitimate heir"; "the true and lawful king" [syn: {true(a)}, {lawful}, {rightful(a)}]
12: in tune; accurate in pitch; "a true note" [syn: {on-key}]
13: accurately fitted; level; "the window frame isn't quite true" [syn: {straight}]
14: reliable as a basis for action; "a true prophesy"
noun: proper alignment; the property possessed by something that is in correct or proper alignment; "out of true"
adverb: as acknowledged; "true, she is the smartest in her class" [syn: {admittedly}, {avowedly}, {confessedly}]
verb: make level, square, balanced, or concentric; "true up the cylinder of an engine" [syn: {true up}] [also: {truest}, {truer}]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
truer See {true}
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |