Verisimilitude
/ˌvɛr.ɪ.sɪˈmɪl.ɪ.tjuːd/noun
The quality of appearing true or real.
Did you know?Verisimilitude comes from Latin verus (“true”) + similis (“like”), so the word itself is built on the tension between truth and imitation.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
verus
“true, real”
Latin
Latin
similis
“like, resembling”
Late Latin
Latin
verisimilitudo
“likeness to truth, probability”
14th Century
English
verisimilitude
“appearance of truth or reality”