Authentic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɒˈθɛn.tɪk/

Definitions

1. Genuine and true to its origins, not copied or falsified
2. Representing true quality and character, this descriptor signifies something that is original and trustworthy, not fabricated or deceitful
3. Truly original and not counterfeit, reflecting its true nature

Etymology: The most surprising fact here is that "authentic" once carried a sense of violence. Its ancient Greek ancestor, "authentes", meant "perpetrator" or "murderer," and also "absolute ruler" or master. Something "authentic" was therefore something done by the person who really did it, a claim of direct authorship or ownership that could be made in a court or a contract. The sense of genuineness grew out of that idea of an original agent whose word or deed could be trusted. The word passed through Latin "authenticus" and Old French "autentique" before reaching Middle English as "authentik." The meaning stayed close to "trustworthy" or "authoritative" for centuries, with the modern sense of "real, not a copy" developing from there. Its near relative "effendi," a title of respect used in the Ottoman world, comes from the same Greek root by a different route, making the two words doublets.

Synonyms: genuine, real, true, legitimate, original

Antonyms: fake, false, counterfeit, spurious, illegitimate