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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Authentic \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.
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To be avenged
On him who had stole Jove's authentic fire.
--Milton.
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2. Authoritative. [Obs.] --Milton.
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3. Of approved authority; true; trustworthy; credible; as, an
authentic writer; an authentic portrait; authentic
information.
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4. (Law) Vested with all due formalities, and legally
attested.
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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.
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Syn: {Authentic}, {Genuine}.

Usage: 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historical documents.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.
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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.
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Note: 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."
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Authentic \Au*then"tic\, n.
An original (book or document). [Obs.] "Authentics and
transcripts." --Fuller.
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