Certainties

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Things regarded as absolutely true or indisputable facts
2. Elements or conditions accepted without question due to their proven accuracy
3. Matters or propositions that are accepted with complete assurance and conviction

Etymology: "Certainties" is simply the plural of "certainty," so its history is that of the singular noun. "Certainty" arrived in English in Middle English as "certeynte," meaning "surety," a guarantee that something would happen or was true. It came from Anglo-Norman "certeinte," which had passed into English through the French of the Norman aristocracy. Behind that lies Old French "certeinete," which descended from a Vulgar Latin form "*certānitās," a noun built from Latin "certus," meaning "fixed," "settled," or "sure." Latin "certus" is also the source of "certain," so the two words are close relatives that entered English along the same route.

Synonyms: assurances, convictions, truths

Antonyms: doubts, uncertainties