Authentic

Authentic
Authentic Au*then"tic, a. [OE. autentik, OF. autentique, F. authentique, L. authenticus coming from the real author, of original or firsthand authority, from Gr. ?, fr. ? suicide, a perpetrator or real author of any act, an absolute master; a'yto`s self + a form "enths (not found), akin to L. sons and perh. orig. from the p. pr. of e'i^nai to be, root as, and meaning the one it really is. See {Am}, {Sin}, n., and cf. {Effendi}.] 1. Having a genuine original or authority, in opposition to that which is false, fictitious, counterfeit, or apocryphal; being what it purports to be; genuine; not of doubtful origin; real; as, an authentic paper or register. [1913 Webster]

To be avenged On him who had stole Jove's authentic fire. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

2. Authoritative. [Obs.] --Milton. [1913 Webster]

3. Of approved authority; true; trustworthy; credible; as, an authentic writer; an authentic portrait; authentic information. [1913 Webster]

4. (Law) Vested with all due formalities, and legally attested. [1913 Webster]

5. (Mus.) Having as immediate relation to the tonic, in distinction from plagal, which has a correspondent relation to the dominant in the octave below the tonic. [1913 Webster]

Syn: {Authentic}, {Genuine}.

Usage: These words, as here compared, have reference to historical documents. We call a document genuine when it can be traced back ultimately to the author or authors from whom it professes to emanate. Hence, the word has the meaning, ``not changed from the original, uncorrupted, unadulterated:'' as, a genuine text. We call a document authentic when, on the ground of its being thus traced back, it may be relied on as true and authoritative (from the primary sense of ``having an author, vouched for''); hence its extended signification, in general literature, of trustworthy, as resting on unquestionable authority or evidence; as, an authentic history; an authentic report of facts. [1913 Webster]

A genuine book is that which was written by the person whose name it bears, as the author of it. An authentic book is that which relates matters of fact as they really happened. A book may be genuine without being, authentic, and a book may be authentic without being genuine. --Bp. Watson. [1913 Webster]

Note: It may be said, however, that some writers use authentic (as, an authentic document) in the sense of ``produced by its professed author, not counterfeit.'' [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • authentic — authentic, genuine, veritable, bona fide denote being exactly what the thing in question is said to be or professes to be. The prevailing sense of authentic is authoritative or trustworthy with the implication of actuality or accordance with fact …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • authentic — authentic, genuine 1. Fowler (1926) tried to establish a distinction in meaning between these two words, reserving authentic for the truthfulness of (for example) a book s contents or a picture s subject and genuine for the status of its alleged… …   Modern English usage

  • Authentic — • The term is used in two senses. It is applied first to a book or document whose contents are invested with a special authority, in virtue of which the work is called authentic. In its second sense it is used as a synonym for genuine , and… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • authentic — [ô then′tik] adj. [ME autentike < OFr autentique < LL authenticus < Gr authentikos, genuine < authentēs, one who does things himself < autos, self + hentēs < IE base * sen , to prepare, achieve] 1. that can be believed or… …   English World dictionary

  • authentic — (adj.) mid 14c., authoritative, from O.Fr. autentique (13c., Mod.Fr. authentique) authentic; canonical, and directly from M.L. authenticus, from Gk. authentikos original, genuine, principal, from authentes one acting on one s own authority, from… …   Etymology dictionary

  • authentic — I adjective accordant with the facts, according to the facts, accredited, accurate, actual, as represented, attested, authoritative, bona fide, certus, credible, demonstrated, dependable, documented, entitled to acceptance and belief, factual,… …   Law dictionary

  • Authentic — Au*then tic, n. An original (book or document). [Obs.] Authentics and transcripts. Fuller. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • authentic — [adj] real, genuine accurate, actual, authoritative, bona fide, certain, convincing, credible, creditable, dependable, factual, faithful, for real*, legit*, legitimate, official, original, pure, reliable, sure, true, trustworthy, trusty, twenty… …   New thesaurus

  • authentic — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ of undisputed origin; genuine. DERIVATIVES authentically adverb authenticity noun. ORIGIN Greek authentikos principal, genuine …   English terms dictionary

  • authentic — adjective Etymology: Middle English autentik, from Anglo French, from Late Latin authenticus, from Greek authentikos, from authentēs perpetrator, master, from aut + hentēs (akin to Greek anyein to accomplish, Sanskrit sanoti he gains) Date: 14th… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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