[au.then.tic] adj [ME autentik, fr. MF autentique, fr. LL authenticus, fr. Gk authentikos, fr. authentes perpetrator, master, fr. aut- + -hentes (akin to Gk anyein to accomplish, Skt sanoti he gains)] (14c) 1 obs: authoritative
2. a: worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact "paints an ~ picture of our society" b: conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features "an ~ reproduction of a colonial farmhouse" c: made or done the same way as an original "~ Mexican fare"
3: not false or imitation: real, actual "based on ~ documents" "an ~ cockney accent"
4. a of a church mode: ranging upward from the keynote--compare plagal 1 b of a cadence: progressing from the dominant chord to the tonic--compare plagal 2
5: true to one's own personality, spirit, or character -- au.then.ti.cal.ly adv -- au.then.tic.i.ty n syn authentic, genuine, bona fide mean being actually and exactly what is claimed. authentic implies being fully trustworthy as according with fact "an authentic account of the perilous journey"; it can also stress painstaking or faithful imitation of an original "an authentic reproduction" "authentic Vietnamese cuisine". genuine implies actual character not counterfeited, imitated, or adulterated "genuine piety" "genuine maple syrup"; it also connotes definite origin from a source "a genuine Mark Twain autograph". bona fide implies good faith and sincerity of intention "a bona fide offer for the stock".