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"faith" in seven languages

Meaningfaith

Spanish

fe

/fe/

fem.inherited

French

foi

/fwa/

fem.inherited

Italian

fede

/ˈfede/

fem.inherited

Also a wedding ring.

Portuguese

fé

/fɛ/

fem.inherited

Romanian

credință

/kreˈdintsə/

fem.other source · Romanian crede 'to believe' (Latin CRĒDERE) + -ință

Catalan

fe

/fe/

fem.inherited

English

faith

/feɪθ/

from Latin/French · Anglo-French feid (Old French feit)

English → ItalianfaithfedeCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

FIDEM‘trust, faith’

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

The story

Italian keeps the d; Spanish and French lose it, leaving tiny words: fe, foi.

English relatives: faith, fidelity, confide, federal

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In a sentence

  • esTen fe.
  • frAie la foi.
  • itAbbi fede.
  • ptTenha fé.
  • roAi credință.
  • caTingues fe.
  • enHave faith.

The Latin family

FĪD-, FID-· trust, faith

FIDEM wore down to fe, foi, fede (and through Anglo-French to English faith). French re-borrowed FIDĒLIS as fidèle, but its inherited Old French feauté survives in English fealty. The spoken verb *FĪDĀRE 'to trust' gave fiar, se fier, fidare — and French fiancer, 'to pledge one's trust'. Catalan fe and Portuguese fé are inherited too; Romanian built its 'faith' on another verb, credință (CRĒDERE).

  • FIDEMfaith, trust

    esfefrfoiitfedeptfécafeenfaith

  • FIDĒLEMfaithful

    esfielfrfidèleitfedeleptfielrofidelcafidel

  • FIDĒLITĀTEMfaithfulness

    esfidelidadfrfidélitéitfedeltàptfidelidaderofidelitatecafidelitatenfidelity

  • *FĪDĀREto trust (spoken Latin, for FĪDERE)

    esfiarfrfieritfidareptfiarcafiar

  • CŌNFĪDENTIAMtrust, assurance

    esconfidenciafrconfidenceitconfidenzaptconfidênciaroconfidențăcaconfidènciaenconfidence

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