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Origin and history of very

very(adj.)

late 13c., verrei, verray "true, real, entitled to the name, genuine;" late 14c. "actual, sheer;" from Anglo-French verrai, Old French verai "true, truthful, sincere; right, just, legal," from Vulgar Latin *veracus, from Latin verax (genitive veracis) "truthful," from verus "true" (source also of Italian vero), from PIE root *were-o- "true, trustworthy."

The meaning "greatly, extremely" is by mid-15c. The word was used as a pure intensive by late 14c. Writers in 16c. introduced verier, veriest. The very thing "just what is suitable or requisite" is by 1690s.

also from late 13c.

Entries linking to very

aloe(n.)

name of a group of shrubs or herbs with spiky flowers and thick leaves, yielding bitter juice which was used as a purgative drug, late 14c., originally in reference to the drug, from Latin aloe, from Greek aloē, which is of uncertain origin, probably a loan-word from an Oriental language.

A secondary sense is older in English: "Fragrant resin or heartwood of an East Indian tree" (Old English alewe, aloe), which is from misuse of Latin/Greek aloe in Biblical translations for Hebrew akhalim (plural), which ultimately is perhaps from a Dravidian language. OED says the Greek word probably was chosen for sound-resemblance to the Hebrew one.

The word then was misapplied in 1680s to the American agave plant, which has a similar appearance (and also a Greek name) but is unrelated. The "true aloe" (producing the drug) consequently is called aloe vera (with Latin vera "true;" see very). Related: Aloetic.

Vera

fem. proper name, from Latin, literally "true" (see very).

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More to explore

really
c. 1400, "actually, in fact, in a real manner," originally in reference to the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, "substantially," from real (adj.) + -ly (2). The general sense is from early 15c. Purely emphatic use dates from c. 1600, "indeed," sometimes as a corroboration, so
real
early 14c., "actually existing, having physical existence (not imaginary);" mid-15c., "relating to things" (especially property), from Old French reel "real, actual," from Late Latin realis "actual," in Medieval Latin "belonging to the thing itself," from Latin res "property, goo
identical
1610s as a term in logic; general sense of "being the same or very similar" is from 1630s, from Medieval Latin identicus "the same," from Late Latin identitas "identity, sameness," ultimately from combining form of Latin idem "the same" (see idem). Replaced Middle English idempti
vast
Meaning "very great in quantity or number" is from 1630s; that of "very great in degree" is from 1670s....Very popular early 18c. as an intensifier. Related: Vastly; vastness; vasty....
covetous
convoiteux), from Vulgar Latin *cupiditosus, from Latin cupiditas "passionate desire, eagerness, ambition," from cupidus "very...From late 14c. in a good sense, "very desirous, eager to acquire." Related: Covetously; covetousness. COVETOUSNESS....The pleasure in having things 'for one's very own' is a very subtle element in it. [Ruskin, "Fors Clavigera"]...
just
kind, or degree; "precisely, without interval, deviation, or variation" is preserved in just so "exactly that, in that very...does in general words for exactness (compare anon, soon), from "exactly, precisely, punctually" to "within a little; with very...Also "very lately, within a brief period of time" (18c.). It is also used intensively, "quite" (by 1855)....Just-so story is attested 1902 in Kipling, from just so "exactly that, in that very way."...
persevere
perseverer "continue, persevere, endure" and directly from Latin perseverare "continue steadfastly, persist," from persevereus "very...strict, earnest," from per "very" (see per) + severus "serious, grave, strict, austere," which is probably from PIE root...
earl
Old English eorl "brave man, warrior, leader, chief" (contrasted with ceorl "churl"), from Proto-Germanic *erlaz, which is of uncertain origin. In Anglo-Saxon poetry, "a warrior, a brave man;" in later Old English, "nobleman," especially a Danish under-king (equivalent of cognate
catholic
mid-14c., catholik, "of the doctrines of the ancient Church" (before the East/West schism), literally "universally accepted," from French catholique, from Church Latin catholicus "universal, general," from Greek katholikos, from phrase kath' holou "on the whole, in general," from
cleave
"to split, part or divide by force," Old English cleofan, cleven, cliven "to split, separate" (class II strong verb, past tense cleaf, past participle clofen), from Proto-Germanic *kleuban (source also of Old Saxon klioban, Old Norse kljufa, Danish klöve, Dutch kloven, Old High G

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