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Verity

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Verity
Truth by Alfred Schwarzschild.
Genderfeminine rarely masculine
Origin
Word/nameOld French
Meaningtruth
Region of originEngland
Other names
Related namesVeretie, Verety, Verita, Veritie

Verity (alias Veretie, Verety, Verita, Veritie, etc.) is a female first name and a surname. As a first name it derives from the Latin feminine noun veritas, meaning "truth". It is thus an equivalent of Alethea, a female first name first used in England circa 1585, derived from the ancient and modern Greek feminine noun αλήθεια (pronounced "al-ee-thia"), meaning "truth". It was adopted in England as a Puritan[1] and Quaker virtue name, truthfulness being considered as a desirable attribute especially in women, and following a new Protestant tradition of naming children after virtues instead of saints in order to avoid idolatry.

Verity is also a surname, which may have more ancient unrelated origins, possibly being a corruption of a similar word.[2]

First name

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Fictional characters

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Surname

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Other

References

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  1. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 270. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.
  2. ^ Surnames had been adopted by families in England centuries before the Puritan era