Webster’s 1828 Dictionary:
TRUTH, n. [Sax. treowth, truth, and troth ; G. treue ; D. getrouwheid, fidelity, from trouw, trust, faith, fidelity, whence trouwen, to marry.]
1. Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be. The truth of history constitutes its whole value. We rely on the truth of the scriptural prophesies.
2. True state of facts or things. The duty of a court of justice is to discover the truth. Witnesses are sworn to declare the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
3. Conformity of words to thoughts, which is called moral truth.
4. Veracity ; purity from falsehood ; practice of speaking truth ; as when we say, a man is a man of truth.
5. Correct opinion. Harte.
6. Fidelity ; constancy.
7. Honesty ; virtue.
8. Exactness ; conformity to rule.
9. Real fact or just principle ; real state of things. There are innumerable truths with which we are not acquainted.
11. The truth of God, is his veracity and faithfulness. Ps. lxxi.
12. Jesus Christ is called the truth. John xiv.
13. It is sometimes used by way of concession.
In truth, in reality ; in fact.
Of a truth, in reality ; certainly.
To do truth, is to practice what God commands. John iii.1
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
Synonyms: These nouns refer to the quality of being in accord with fact or reality. Truth is a comprehensive term that in all of its nuances implies accuracy and honesty: “We seek the truth, and will endure the consequences” (Charles Seymour).
Veracity is adherence to the truth: “Veracity is the heart of morality” (Thomas H. Huxley).
Verity often applies to an enduring or repeatedly demonstrated truth: “beliefs that were accepted as eternal verities” (James Harvey Robinson).
Verisimilitude is the quality of having the appearance of truth or reality: “merely corroborative detail, intended to give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative” (W.S. Gilbert).2
- truth. American Dictionary of the English Language, Vol. 2. S. Converse, 1828.
- truth. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.