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"belief" in seven languages

Meaningbelief

Spanish

creencia

/kɾeˈenθja/

fem.inherited

French

croyance

/kʁwajɑ̃s/

fem.inherited

Italian

credenza

/kreˈdɛntsa/

fem.inherited

Also a sideboard: una credenza.

Portuguese

crença

/ˈkɾẽsɐ/

fem.inherited

Romanian

credință

/kreˈdintsə/

fem.inherited

Built on crede (CRĒDERE); also the word for religious faith.

Catalan

creença

/kɾəˈɛnsə/

fem.inherited

English

belief

/bɪˈlif/

native English · Middle English bileve, from Old English gelēafa

English → ItalianbeliefcredenzaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: credible, credit, creed, credentials.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

CRĒDERE‘to believe, trust’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Each sister built the noun on its own word for 'believe' (creer, croire, credere): Spanish lost the d, French lost it and grew a y, Italian kept it.

English relatives: credible, credit, creed, credentials

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esRespetamos todas las creencias.
  • frNous respectons toutes les croyances.
  • itRispettiamo tutte le credenze.
  • ptRespeitamos todas as crenças.
  • roRespectăm toate credințele.
  • caRespectem totes les creences.
  • enWe respect all beliefs.

More words from the same Latin

More in Ideas

All Ideas words