Origin: Latin suffix -ate
Accurate has 3 different meanings across 1 category:
conforming exactly or almost exactly to fact or to a standard or performing with total accuracy
"an accurate reproduction"
"the accounting was accurate"
"accurate measurements"
"an accurate scale"
Telling the truth or giving a true result; exact; not defective or faulty
"The new sensor provided an accurate reading of the temperature, confirming that our previous estimates were slightly off."
In plain English: Accurate means being correct and exactly right.
"The map was very accurate and helped us find the house quickly."
Usage: Use accurate to describe information that perfectly matches reality or results that are free from error. It applies when something is exactly right in its details rather than merely close enough.
The word accurate entered English in the 1610s with the meaning "done with care," before shifting to its modern sense of being precise around 1650. It was borrowed from Latin, where it originally described something performed with attention rather than strict exactness.