Au*then"tic (&?;), a. [OE. autentik,
OF. autentique, F. authentique, L. authenticus coming
from the real author, of original or firsthand authority, from Gr. &?;, fr.
&?; suicide, a perpetrator or real author of any act, an absolute master;
a'yto`s self + a form "enths (not found), akin to L.
sons and perh. orig. from the p. pr. of e'i^nai to be,
root as, and meaning the one it really is. See Am,
Sin, n., and cf. Effendi.]
1. Having a genuine original or authority, in
opposition to that which is false, fictitious, counterfeit, or apocryphal;
being what it purports to be; genuine; not of doubtful origin; real; as, an
authentic paper or register.
To be avenged
On him who had stole Jove's authentic fire.
Milton.
2. Authoritative. [Obs.] Milton.
3. Of approved authority; true; trustworthy;
credible; as, an authentic writer; an authentic portrait;
authentic information.
4. (Law) Vested with all due formalities,
and legally attested.
5. (Mus.) Having as immediate relation to
the tonic, in distinction from plagal, which has a correspondent
relation to the dominant in the octave below the tonic.
Syn. -- Authentic, Genuine. These words, as here
compared, have reference to historical documents. We call a document
genuine when it can be traced back ultimately to the author or
authors from whom it professes to emanate. Hence, the word has the meaning,
"not changed from the original, uncorrupted, unadulterated:" as, a
genuine text. We call a document authentic when, on the
ground of its being thus traced back, it may be relied on as true and
authoritative (from the primary sense of "having an author, vouched for");
hence its extended signification, in general literature, of trustworthy, as
resting on unquestionable authority or evidence; as, an authentic
history; an authentic report of facts.
A genuine book is that which was written by the
person whose name it bears, as the author of it. An authentic book
is that which relates matters of fact as they really happened. A book may
be genuine without being, authentic, and a book may be
authentic without being genuine.
Bp. Watson.
It may be said, however, that some writers use authentic (as, an
authentic document) in the sense of "produced by its professed
author, not counterfeit."
Au*then"tic, n. An original (book or
document). [Obs.] "Authentics and transcripts."
Fuller.
