Word of the Day

: May 6, 2008

veritable

adjective VAIR-uh-tuh-bul

What It Means

: being in fact the thing named and not false, unreal, or imaginary

veritable in Context

Melissa is a veritable wellspring of information on local history and folklore.

Did You Know?

"Veritable," like its close relative "verity" ("truth"), came to English through Anglo-French from Latin. It is ultimately derived from "verus," the Latin word for "true," which also gave us "verify," "aver," and "verdict." "Veritable" is often used as a synonym of "genuine" or "authentic" ("a veritable masterpiece"), but it is also frequently used to stress the aptness of a metaphor, often in a humorous tone ("a veritable swarm of lawyers"). In the past, usage commentators have objected to the latter use, but today it doesn't draw much criticism.