True

adj. Probably before 1200 trewe, treowe faithful, loyal, trustworthy; developed from Old English (about 725, in Beowulf) West Saxon triewe, Mercian treowe faithful, trustworthy; related to TRUCE

Old English triewe, treowe (from Prot-Germanic *treww-jaz) is cognate with Old Frisian and Old Saxon triuwi faithful, trustworthy, Middle Dutch ghetruwe, (modern Dutch getrouw), Old High German gitriuwi (modern German treu) faithful, Old Icelandic tryggr trustworthy, safe (Danish tryg, Swedish and Norwegian trygg safe, secure), and Gothic triggws faithful. The sense of consistent with fact (as in a true story) is first recorded in Middle English probably before 1200, and that of agreeing with a standard, accurate (as in true north) about 1550. —adv. About 1303 trew faithfully; before 1325, truthfully, rightly, from the adjective. —n. Probably about 1390, faithful person; from the adjective; later, that which is true (1812). —v. 1647, to prove true; from the adjective; later, make true (1841).

Truce

n. Probably before 1200 triws a stopping of fighting, feuding, or quarreling, armistice; variant of trewes, originally the plural of trewe faith, assurance of faith, covenant, treaty; developed from Old English treow faith, treaty (from Proto-Germanic *trewwo); related to treowe faithful; Plural trewes gradually became a singular through application of the word to the agreement or promise of good faith pledged by parties after a dispute. —trucial adj. 1876, pertaining to or bound by a truce (used originally in reference to a maritime truce made in 1835 between British government and certain sheikdoms in southeastern Arabia); formed from English truce + -ial.

Truth

n. 1137 treuthe quality of being true (as in whispering tongues can poison truth), faithfulness; developed from Old English (before 899), West Saxon triewth, Mercian treowth faithfulness, from triewe, treowe faithful, TRUE. The sense of something that is true (as in tell us the truth), is first recorded in Middle English about 1378. The sense of conformity with fact (as in There is some truth in what you say), is first recorded in 1570.

Fact

n. 1539, action or deed, especially an evil deed; borrowed from Latin factum event, occurrence (literally, thing done), from neuter past participle of facere to DO. The general sense of thing known to be true or to have really happened, is first recorded in English in 1632. —factual adj. Before 1834, derived from fact, on the analogy of actual.

False

adj. Probably before 1200 false, fals; developed in part from Old English (about 1000) fals counterfeit, not genuine, and reinforced by reborrowing in Middle English from Old French fals, faus, from Latin falsus, past participle of fallere deceive, disappoint. Old English fals was apparently a rare form also borrowed from Latin falsus, from fallere. The continental Germanic languages borrowed the word in an altered form, as found in Middle High German valsch (modern Dutch vals), Icelandic falskur, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish falsk.

Lie

v. speak falsely. Probably about 1175 lien; later ligen (probably before 1200) and legen (before 1250); developed from Old English legan, ligan (before 830), and earlier leogan (before 725); cognate with Old Frisian liaga to lie, Old Saxon liogan, Middle Dutch lieghen (modern Dutch liegen), Old High German liogan (modern German lugen), Old Idelandic ljuga (Swedish ljuga, Danish lyve), and Gothic liugan, from Proto-Germanic *leuganan.

Deceive

v. About 1300 deceiven, borrowed from Old French deceiv-, stem of deceveir, from Vulgar Latin *decipere,

corresponding to Latin decipere ensnare (de- away + capere take).

Delude

v. About 1408 delluden, borrowed from Latin deludere (de-down, to one’s detriment + ludere to play). —delusion n. About 1421 dilusioun, borrowed from Latin delusionem (nominative delusio), from delus-, past participle stem of deludere delude.

Illusion

n. About 1350 illusioun mockery; later, deceptive appearance (about 1380); borrowed from Old French illusion a mocking, learned borrowing from Latin illusionem (nominative illusio) a mocking, jesting, irony, from illudere mock at (il-at + ludere to play).

Real

adj. actual, true. Probably before 1325 real having physical existence, actual; later, genuine or authentic (1440); in law, pertaining to property (1444); borrowed from Old French reel, real, from Late Latin realis actual, from Latin res matter or thing. —real estate (1666) —realism n. 1817, formed from English real, adj. + -ism, perhaps after French realisme. —realist n. 1605, on concerned with things rather than words; formed from English —reality n. 1550, quality of being real; reborrowed from Middle French realite, and directly from Medieval Latin realitas, from Late Latin realis real.

Faith

n. About 1250 feith loyalty, fealty, allegiance; borrowed from Old French feit, feid (while still pronounced fath) from Latin fides trust, belief: related to fidere to trust. The various senses of faith came into Middle English from Old French within a relatively short period of time: belief and trust were already present in Latin fides as well as in its Greek cognate, pistis, which was rendered in the Vulgate or New Testament as fides. —faithful adj. (before 1325)

Covenant

n. Probably before 1300 covenaunt, borrowed from Old French covenant agreement, (originally) present participle of covenir agree or meet, from Latin convenire come together, CONVENE. —v. Probably before 1300, from the noun.

Quotation

n. 1456, a numbering, number; later, a marginal notation (1532); probably formed from quote, v. + -ation, and also borrowed from Medieval Latin quotationem (nominative quotatio), from quotare to number chapters, see QUOTE; for suffix see -ATION. The meaning of an act of citing or quoting is first recorded in 1646, and that of a passage quoted from a book, etc., in 1690. —quotation mark (1888).

Quote

v. Before 1387 coten mark (a book) with numbers or marginal references; borrowed from Old French coter; also later quoten (probably before 1425); from Medieval Latin quotare to number chapters; both the Old French and Medieval Latin forms derive from Latin quotus which or what number (in a sequence), from quot how many, related to quis WHO. The meaning of cite or refer to passages from (a particular source) is first recorded in 1574, and that of copy out or repeat exactly the words of another, before 1680. —n. 1600, marginal reference; from the verb.

Cite

v. 1438 citen to summon; borrowed from Old French citer, learned borrowing from Latin citare move, excite, summon, a frequentative form of ciere set in motion, call. The sense of quote or refer to as an authority appeared by 1535. —citation n. About 1300, a summons, written notice to appear; borrowed through Old French citation or, as a learned borrowing, directly from Latin ciationem (nominative citatio), from ctare to summon; for suffix see -TION. The sense of a quotation appeared in 1548.

Queer

adj. 1508, Scottish, probably borrowed from Low German (perhaps Brunswick) queer oblique, off-center, related to German quer oblique, perverse, odd, from Old High German twerh, oblique; see THWART. The sense of homosexual is first recorded in 1922. —v. 1812, to spoil, ruin, probably from the adjective. An earlier sense of trick, swindled, cheat, is recorded about 1790. —n. 1935, homosexual, from the adjective.

Oblique

adj. Probably before 1425 oblique, oblike slanting; figurative, indirect; borrowed from Middle French oblique, and directly from Latin obliquus (ob- against + root liqu-, lic- to bend, as in liquis oblique, licinus bent upward).

Thwart

adv., prep. across, crosswise. Probably before 1200 thwert- (as in thwertover athwart over); later thweart (about 1200); borrowed from a Scandinavian source (compare Old Icelandic thvert across; orginally neuter of thverr, adj., transverse, cross). Old Icelandic thverr is cognate with Old English thweorh transverse, perverse, angry, cross, Middle Low German and MIddle Dutch dwers, dwars (modern Dutch dwars), Old High German dwerah, twerh (modern German zwerch-), Gothic thwairhs angry, from Proto-Germanic *thwerHaz, altered (by influence of thwer- to turn) from therH-. —v. About 1250 thwerten run counter to, oppose, hinder; from thwert- across. —adj. Probably about 1200 thwert, about 1250 thweart; from the adverb. —n. 1611, act of thwarting, hindrance; from the verb. The seat across a canoe (1736), is probably from the adjective.

Question

n. Before 1200 questiun a philosophical or theological problem; later questioun any problem or thing asked, also the act of asking (before 1325); borrowed through Anglo-French questiun, and directly from Old French question legal inquest, learned borrowing from Latin quaestrionem (nominative quaestio) a seeking, inquiry, from quaes-, root of quarere to ask, QUERY; for suffix see -TION. —v. Before 1470 questionen, perhaps from the noun, and in part borrowed from Middle French questionner, from the noun in Middle French. —question mark 1869; earlier question stop (1862).