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veritas

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word veritas

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
190–159 BC, Terence
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*weh₁-ro-)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin verus
Latin vero
Latin veritas
French vérité
French véritable
Latin vere

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈweː.rɪ.taːs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈvɛː.ri.tas][1]

Forms

vēritās f (genitive vēritātis); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin vērus (“true”) + -tās.[2][1][3][4] De Vaan traces vērus to Proto-Italic *wēro- and Proto-Indo-European *weh₁-ro- (“true”), cognate with Old Irish fír (“true”) and Old High German wār (“true”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Terence has the maxim obsequium amīcōs, vēritās odium parit, “compliance wins friends, truthfulness breeds hatred”.[2] Köbler first records it in Cicero.[3]

Semantic evolution

Vēritās is “actuality” (Cicero: the eternal truth of future things, which the Stoics call fate), what really exists, “real life, reality” (in vēritāte, in real cases, as opposed to school exercises), and the true nature of a thing; in law it is the real value.[2][6][1] It is “truth”, the quality of agreeing with the facts, and “the truth” itself, with vēritāte “in fact”.[2][6] Of persons it is “truthfulness, frankness” (Terence), personified as a goddess (Horace: nūda Vēritās), and “honesty, sincerity” (Cicero: friendship is kept by sincerity, partnership by good faith).[2][1] It is also accuracy in reporting and strict correctness, as of pronunciation (Cicero: cōnsule vēritātem, “consult the rule”).[2]

Church Latin glosses it “truth, fidelity, accuracy, correctness”.[7] In medieval Latin it is also the truth in a lawsuit, established by sworn witnesses.[8] English verity comes from it through Old French in the late 14th century.[4]

Timeline

  • 190–159 BC – Terence: obsequium amīcōs, vēritās odium parit.[2][3]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero: sempiternam rērum futūrārum vēritātem.[2][3]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace: nūda Vēritās.[2][3]
  • late 14th century – English verity.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. reality, actuality; real life.[2][6][1]
  2. The true nature (of a thing); (law) the real value.[2][1]
  3. truth; the truth.[2][6][1][7]
  4. Truthfulness, frankness; honesty, sincerity.[2][6][1][7]
  5. Accuracy; correctness.[2][7]
  6. (Medieval Latin) The truth of a case established by sworn witnesses.[8]

Proper noun

  1. Vēritās, Truth as a goddess.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill

Borrowed into

Cite this entry

“Veritas.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/veritas. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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