verities

Verities is the plural form of verity, a term meaning truth or reality. In English, verity refers to a fact or proposition that is regarded as true, while verities denotes multiple truths or universal, enduring truths. The word derives from Latin veritas (truth) through Old French and Middle English, and has appeared in scholarly, religious, and literary usage since the medieval period.

In philosophy and theology, verities often denote fundamental or axiomatic truths about existence, morality, or the nature of the divine. In literature and rhetoric, authors may invoke verities to appeal to shared human experiences, emphasizing eternal or universal realities such as honesty, justice, or mortality. The phrase eternal verities appears in religious and philosophical discourse to describe enduring principles that transcend time and circumstance. In everyday usage, verities is more common in formal or stylistic contexts; the singular verity is used for a single truth, while verities refers to several truths or to truths considered universal.

Usage notes: while verities can be used figuratively (the verities of life), it is relatively archaic in casual speech. Modern writers often prefer “truths” or “universal truths” over verities, but the term remains recognized in lexicons and literary texts.