True

Having written three posts with the word “True,” it seems like a good idea to define the term. Especially in these days of “If I believe it, it’s true.”

 

The Latin root is ver and we can find it in words like “verdict, veracity, verify, verity and verdad” (in Spanish). One definition includes the word “very,” saying that when something is very good, it’s “truly” good. “True” is also a verb, as in “bringing an object or wheel into the exact shape, alignment or position required.” And isn’t that a lovely notion of the importance of truth, bringing things into alignment with what’s needed. 

 

Where else does “true” turn up? I discovered this:

 

True color is an RGB color model standard that specifies 256 shades for red, green and blue spaces, totaling 16 million colors, much more than what the human eye can distinguish, which is only 10 million colors.

 

Not clear what this means and neither does my art teacher/ artist wife, but I like the idea that truth is never a single color, but a nuanced version of reality with many shades. 16 million, according to the above!

 

But my wife reminded me of the term “true blue” and its apparent origin in 1636 dates it long before the rise of the Democratic Party (without any details that I can find). This meaning of “unswerving loyalty to a political party” is much less appealing. We have had far too much of that!

 

True also means being faithful, as in not cheating on your lover or holding fast to an ideal. 

 

Finally, true in its most basic definition means aligned with actual fact, something that is currently too far out of fashion. And this fact is true— I have three classes ahead of me today and no more time to investigate truth further. Happy Friday!