Faith, Fidelity and Fiancé Share One Latin Root
Faith is trust or religious belief. The Latin word for trust behind it produced a large family of English words about loyalty.
Faith is complete trust in someone, or a system of religious belief. Latin *fides*, trust, produced a whole vocabulary of loyalty: *fidelity*, *confide*, *defiance*, *perfidy*, *fiancé* — someone promised — and even *Fido*, the traditional dog name, which simply means faithful. The dog's name is a Latin adjective. *Bona fide* means in good faith, and *bona fides* names someone's credentials.
- Complete trust. *Faith in the plan.*
- A religion. *The Christian faith.*
- Faithful — loyal. *A faithful friend.*
- Bona fide — genuine. *A bona fide offer.*
- Latin — *fides*, trust. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | faith | Blind faith. |
| Plural | faiths | All faiths. |
| Adjective | faithful | Faithful service. |
| Adverb | faithfully | Yours faithfully. |
| Latin | fides | Trust. |
- She kept faith with her promise.Trust.
- People of all faiths attended.Religion.
- Fido means faithful in Latin.Etymology.
The fides family
- Fidelity — faithfulness, including in sound reproduction
- Confide — to trust someone with a secret
- Perfidy — treachery, a breaking of trust
- Fiancé — one who has promised
- Defy — originally to renounce one's faith or allegiance
Anglo-French *feid*, from Latin *fides*, trust or faith, from *fidere*, to trust.
What does bona fide mean?
In good faith, so genuine or authentic. The noun bona fides means someone's credentials or good standing.
Is Fido really a Latin word?
Yes. It means I trust or, as an adjective form, faithful. It became a traditional dog name for that reason.