truth-value
Meaning
A value indicating the degree of truth of a proposition, typically 'true' or 'false' in classical logic.
The truth or falsehood attributed to a statement within a logical system.
Structure
Usage
In classical logic, every proposition must have a definite truth-value, either true or false.
The truth-value of the statement "The sky is green" is false.
Many-valued logics extend the classical system by allowing for more than two possible truth-values.
Etymology
The compound noun 'truth-value' is a modern philosophical and logical term, constructed from two native English elements with deep Germanic and Latin roots. The first element, 'truth', originates from the Old English concept of 'trēowth', which encompassed fidelity and trustworthiness, a quality-based abstraction from the adjective 'true'. The second element, 'value', entered English via French from the Latin verb 'valēre', which fundamentally meant 'to be strong' and evolved to signify worth or measure. The fusion of these concepts in the early 20th century, particularly through the work of logicians like Gottlob Frege, created a precise technical term. It logically marries the qualitative notion of conformity with fact ('truth') with the quantitative idea of an assignable measure ('value'), resulting in a discrete label (like true/false) that denotes the semantic status of a proposition within a formal system.
Analysis
- truth: From Old English 'trēowth', 'trȳwth', meaning 'faithfulness, constancy'. It is a noun formed from the adjective 'true' (Old English 'trēowe') plus the abstract noun-forming suffix '-th'. Its functional role is to denote the concept or quality of being in accordance with fact or reality. - value: From Old French 'value', the feminine past participle of 'valoir' (to be worth), from Latin 'valēre' (to be strong, be worth). Its functional role is to denote a numerical quantity, measure, or worth assigned to something.