fact

English Online Dictionary. What means fact‎? What does fact mean?

English

Etymology

From Old French fact, from Latin factum (“an act, deed, feat, etc.”); also Medieval Latin for “state, condition, circumstance”; neuter of factus (“done or made”), perfect passive participle of faciō (“do, make”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to put, place, set”). Old/Middle French later evolved it into faict and fait. Doublet of feat.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fækt/
• Rhymes: -ækt

Noun

fact (countable and uncountable, plural facts)

1. Something actual as opposed to invented.
2. Something which is real.

3. Something concrete used as a basis for further interpretation.

4. An objective consensus on a fundamental reality that has been agreed upon by a substantial number of experts.

5. Information about a particular subject, especially actual conditions and/or circumstances.

6. (databases) An individual value or measurement at the lowest level of granularity in a data warehouse.
7. (archaic) Action; the realm of action.
8. (law, obsolete except in set phrases) A wrongful or criminal deed.
9. (obsolete) A feat or meritorious deed.

Usage notes

The collocation true fact is a famous example of a pleonasm that irritates some readers or listeners: All facts are true, and anything not true is not a fact. The collocation often arises innocently enough as a speaker or writer reaches for emphasis; but, in careful (deliberative) writing, the writer's own interests (e.g., credibility, persuasion) are best served by deleting the adjective. Ironic usage may bend this rule for humorous effect (e.g., trufax).

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “Something actual”): fiction
• (antonym(s) of “Something objective”): opinion

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

• value
• belief

References

• “fact”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “fact”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “fact”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• "Conway: 'Alternative Facts'" Merriam-Webster's Trend Watch Merriam-Webster. 2017.

Interjection

fact

1. Used before making a statement to introduce it as a trustworthy one.

Anagrams

• acft