Alethic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /əˈliːθɪk/

Definitions

1. A category of modality that deals with the concepts of what must be true or could be true in a logical framework
2. Pertaining to the nature of truth, especially in terms of what is necessarily true or contingently true
3. A conceptual framework that involves the analysis of necessity and possibility regarding truth in logical contexts

Etymology: "Alethic" is a plain formation: it takes the Ancient Greek noun "alētheia", meaning "truth", and adds the adjective-forming suffix "-ic", giving "relating to truth." Greek "alētheia" itself was built from "a-", a privative prefix meaning "not", and a root tied to hiding or forgetting, so the word literally sets truth as the opposite of concealment. Modern philosophers and logicians use "alethic" as the standard term for the branch of modal logic concerned with necessity and possibility, which is where the word is most often met today.