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English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English faith (also fay), borrowed from Old French fei, feid, from Latin fidem. Displaced native Old English ġelēafa, which was also the word for "belief."
Old French had as a final devoiced allophone of /ð/ from lenited Latin /d/; this eventually fell silent in the 12th century. The -th of the Middle English forms is most straightforwardly accounted for as a direct borrowing of a French . However, it has also been seen as arising from alteration of a French form with -d under influence of English abstract nouns in the suffix -th (e.g. truth, ruth, health, etc.), or as a recharacterisation of a French form like fay, fey, fei with the same suffix, thus making the word equivalent to fay + -th.
Pronunciation
Noun
faith (countable and uncountable, plural faiths)
- A trust or confidence in the intentions or abilities of a person, object, or ideal from prior empirical evidence.
The faithfulness of Old Faithful gives us faith in it.
I have faith in the goodness of my fellow man.
You need to have faith in yourself, that you can overcome your shortcomings and become a good person.
1965, 18:00 from the start, in Lyndon B. Johnson inaugural address: January 20, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson (actor), CBS News:For we are a nation of believers. Underneath the clamor of building and the rush of our day's pursuits, we are believers in justice and liberty and union, and in our own Union. We believe that every man must someday be free. And we believe in ourselves.
That is the mistake that our enemies have always made. In my lifetime--in depression and in war--they have awaited our defeat. Each time, from the secret places of the American heart, came forth the faith they could not see or that they could not even imagine. It brought us victory. And it will again.
1999, Nicholas Walker, “The Reorientation of Critical Theory: Habermas”, in Simon Glemdinning, editor, The Edinburgh Encyclopedia of Continental Philosophy, Routledge, →ISBN, page 489:[…] with a mentality anchored in a profoundly influential and persistent hostility to central features of the Enlightment faith in the theoretical and practical autonomy of the human subject.
- A conviction about abstractions, ideas, or beliefs, without empirical evidence, experience, or observation.
I have faith that my prayers will be answered.
I have faith in the healing power of crystals.
1611, The Holy Bible, (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, Matthew 17:19–20:Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
- A religious or spiritual belief system.
The Christian faith.
We seek justice for the Indo-European Folk Faith; what's wrong in our literature for that?
2020 March 27, “Dafa Taught Me How to Be a Good Person”, in Minghui:Gradually I realized that I needed a faith to rely on.
- An obligation of loyalty or fidelity and the observance of such an obligation.
He acted in good faith to restore broken diplomatic ties after defeating the incumbent.
- (obsolete) Credibility or truth.
- 1784-1810, William Mitford, History of Greece
- the faith of the foregoing narrative
Quotations
For quotations using this term, see Citations:faith.
Synonyms
- (knowing, without direct observation, based on indirect evidence and experience, that something is true, real, or will happen): belief, confidence, trust, conviction
- (system of religious belief): religion
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
feeling that something is true
- Afrikaans: geloof (af)
- Albanian: besim (sq) m, besë (sq) f
- Arabic: إِيمَان (ar) m (ʔīmān), مُعْتَقَد m (muʕtaqad), اِعْتِقَاد m (iʕtiqād)
- Aramaic: ܗܝܡܢܘܬܐ
- Armenian: հավատ (hy) (havat)
- Asturian: fe f
- Azerbaijani: iman (az), inanc
- Bashkir: иман (iman)
- Belarusian: ве́ра f (vjéra)
- Bengali: বিশ্বাস (bn) (biśśaś), এতেকাদ (etekad), ঈমান (bn) (iman)
- Bulgarian: вя́ра (bg) f (vjára)
- Burmese: သဒ္ဓါ (my) (saddha)
- Catalan: fe (ca) f
- Cherokee: ᎪᎯᏳᏗ (gohiyudi)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 信心 (seon3 sam1)
- Mandarin: 信念 (zh) (xìnniàn), 信心 (zh) (xìnxīn), 信賴/信赖 (zh) (xìnlài)
- Czech: víra (cs) f
- Danish: tro (da) c
- Dutch: vertrouwen (nl) n, geloof (nl) n,
- Esperanto: fido
- Estonian: usk
- Even: тэдьэн (təʒən)
- Evenki: тэде (təʒe)
- Faroese: trúgv f
- Fijian: vakabauta, vakadinata (fj)
- Finnish: luottamus (fi), usko (fi)
- French: foi (fr) f
- Old French: feid f
- Friulian: fede f
- Galician: fe (gl) f
- Georgian: რწმენა (rc̣mena)
- German: Glaube (de) m
- Greek: πίστη (el) (písti)
- Ancient: πίστις f (pístis)
- Guaraní: jerovia (gn)
- Hausa: imani
- Hawaiian: manaʻoʻiʻo
- Hebrew: אֱמוּנָה (he) f (emuná)
- Hindi: आस्था (hi) f (āsthā), धारणा (hi) f (dhārṇā), ईमान (hi) m (īmān), यक़ीन m (yaqīn), विश्वास (hi) m (viśvās), श्रद्धा (hi) f (śraddhā)
- Hungarian: hit (hu)
- Icelandic: trú (is) f
- Italian: fede (it) f, fiducia (it) f
- Japanese: 信頼 (ja) (しんらい, shinrai) (trust), 信奉 (ja) (しんぽう, shinpō), 信仰 (ja) (しんこう, shinkō), 信念 (ja) (しんねん, shinnen), 信教 (ja) (しんきょう, shinkyō), 信義 (ja) (しんぎ)
- Kazakh: сенім (senım)
- Khmer: សទ្ធា (km) (satthiə)
- Korean: 믿음 (ko) (mideum), 신앙(信仰) (ko) (sinang)
- Kurdish:
- Northern Kurdish: bawerî (ku), îman (ku)
- Kyrgyz: ишеним (ky) (işenim), ишенич (ky) (işenic), дин (ky) (din), ак ниеттик (ky) (ak niyettik), берилгендик (ky) (berilgendik), убада (ky) (ubada), кепилдик (ky) (kepildik)
- Lao: ສັດທາ (sat thā), ຄວາມເຊື່ອ (lo) (khuām sư̄a)
- Latin: fides f
- Latvian: pārliecība f, ticība (lv) f
- Lithuanian: tikėjimas f
- Macedonian: вера f (vera)
- Malayalam: വിശ്വാസം (ml) (viśvāsaṁ)
- Maltese: fidi
- Maori: whakapono
- Mongolian:
- Cyrillic: итгэл (mn) (itgel)
- Naga Pidgin: biswas
- Navajo: oodlą́
- Norman: fei f
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: tro (no) m
- Occitan: fe (oc) f
- Old Church Slavonic:
- Cyrillic: вѣра f (věra)
- Old East Slavic: вѣра f (věra)
- Old English: ġelēafa m
- Ottoman Turkish: ایمان (iman)
- Pali: saddhā f
- Pashto: ايمان m (imãn), اعتقاد (ps) m (e'teqãd)
- Persian: ایمان (fa) (imân), اعتقاد (fa) (e'teqâd)
- Plautdietsch: Gloowe m
- Polish: wiara (pl) f
- Portuguese: fé (pt) f
- Romanian: credință (ro) f
- Romansch: fai
- Russian: ве́ра (ru) f (véra)
- Sanskrit: श्रद्धा (sa) f (śraddhā)
- Sardinian: fide, fidi
- Saterland Frisian: Gloowe
- Scottish Gaelic: creideamh m, creideas m
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: ве̏ра f, вје̏ра f
- Roman: vȅra (sh) f, vjȅra (sh) f
- Sicilian: fidi (scn)
- Slovak: viera f
- Slovene: vera (sl) f
- Sorbian:
- Upper Sorbian: wěra f
- Spanish: fe (es) f
- Swahili: imani (sw)
- Swedish: tro (sv) c
- Tagalog: pananampalataya (tl), paniniwala
- Tajik: имон (tg) (imon), эътикод (eʾtikod)
- Tatar: иман (tt) (iman)
- Telugu: నమ్మకము (te) (nammakamu), విశ్వాసము (te) (viśvāsamu)
- Thai: ศรัทธา (th) (sàt-taa), ความเชื่อ (th) (kwaam-chʉ̂ʉa)
- Tibetan: དད་པ (dad pa)
- Turkish: inanç (tr), iman (tr)
- Turkmen: iman
- Ukrainian: ві́ра f (víra)
- Urdu: ایمان m (īmān), یقین m (yaqīn)
- Uyghur: ئىشەنچ (ishench), ئېتىقاد (ëtiqad), ئىمان (iman)
- Uzbek: ishonch (uz), eʻtiqod, imon (uz)
- Venetian: fè
- Vietnamese: tín ngưỡng (vi), tin (vi), tin tưởng (vi)
- Vilamovian: głaowa m
- West Frisian: leauwe
- Zazaki: iman n
- Zulu: ithemba (zu)
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religious belief system
- Arabic: إِيمَان (ar) m (ʔīmān), دِين (ar) m (dīn)
- Azerbaijani: iman (az), din (az)
- Basque: fede
- Belarusian: ве́ра f (vjéra), веравызна́нне n (vjeravyznánnje), вызна́нне n (vyznánnje), канфе́сія f (kanfjésija)
- Bulgarian: вя́ра (bg) f (vjára), вероизпове́дание (bg) n (veroizpovédanie)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 信仰 (seon3 joeng5)
- Mandarin: 信仰 (zh) (xìnyǎng)
- Finnish: usko (fi)
- French: foi (fr) f
- Old French: feid f
- Georgian: მრწამსი (mrc̣amsi), რჯული (rǯuli), აღმსარებლობა (aɣmsarebloba)
- German: Glaube (de) m
- Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 f (galaubeins)
- Guaraní: jerovia (gn)
- Hebrew: דָּת (he) f (dat)
- Hindi: धर्म (hi) m (dharm), दीन (hi) m (dīn) (Muslim)
- Indonesian: keyakinan (id), kepercayaan (id), iman (id)
- Italian: fede (it) f
- Japanese: 信仰 (ja) (しんこう, shinkō)
- Kapampangan: kasalpantayanan
- Kazakh: дін (dın)
- Korean: 신앙(信仰) (ko) (sinang)
- Kyrgyz: дин (ky) (din)
- Lao: ສາດສະໜາ (lo) (sāt sa nā), ສັດທາ (sat thā)
- Malay: iman (ms), din (ms)
- Navajo: oodlą́
- Occitan: fe (oc) f
- Old English: ġelēafa m
- Ottoman Turkish: ایمان (iman)
- Persian: ایمان (fa) (imân), دین (fa) (din)
- Plautdietsch: Gloowe m
- Polish: wyznanie (pl) n
- Portuguese: fé (pt) f
- Russian: ве́ра (ru) f (véra), вероиспове́дание (ru) n (veroispovédanije), конфе́ссия (ru) f (konféssija), испове́дание (ru) n (ispovédanije)
- Slovene: vera (sl) f, veroizpoved f
- Spanish: fe (es) f
- Swedish: tro (sv) c
- Tajik: имон (tg) (imon), дин (tg) (din)
- Tatar: иман (tt) (iman), дин (tt) (din)
- Turkish: inanç (tr), iman (tr), din (tr)
- Turkmen: din
- Ukrainian: ві́ра f (víra), віросповіда́ння n (virospovidánnja), конфе́сія (uk) f (konfésija), віровизна́ння n (virovyznánnja), визна́ння n (vyznánnja)
- Urdu: ایمان m (īmān), دین m (dīn)
- Uzbek: imon (uz), din (uz)
- Walloon: fwè (wa) f
- Western Panjabi: دھرم (pnb) m (dharm)
- Zazaki: din (diq) m
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obligation of loyalty or fidelity
confidence in the intentions or abilities
Adverb
faith (not comparable)
- (archaic) Alternative form of in faith (“really, truly”)
1828, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], Pelham; or, The Adventures of a Gentleman. , volume III, London: Henry Colburn, , →OCLC:“How wonderfully,” said Vincent, “your city dignities unloose the tongue: directly a man has been a mayor, he thinks himself qualified for a Tully at least. Faith, Venables asked me one day, what was the Latin for spouting? and I told him, ‘hippomanes, or a raging humour in mayors.’”
1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:'Faith, friend,' he says, 'that was a nasty fall for a fellow that has supped weel. Where might your road be gaun to?'
References
- “faith”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- faith in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
- “faith”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “faith”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Anagrams
Old Irish
Noun
faith m
- Alternative spelling of fáith
Welsh
Pronunciation
Adjective
faith
- Soft mutation of maith.
Mutation