Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “credible” come from?

Credible derives from Middle English credible, from Old French credible, from Latin credibilis, formed from the root credere meaning "to believe" combined with the suffix -ibilis meaning "capable of being," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱred dʰeh₁- meaning "to put one's heart."

credible (English): Believable or plausible; Authentic or convincing

Definitions

  1. Believable or plausible; Authentic or convincing

Ancestry of “credible”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcredible—
2Old Frenchcredible—
3Latincrēdibilis—
4Latincrēdō—
5Proto-Italickrezdō—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱréddʰh₁etito believe, trust
7Proto-Indo-European-dʰh₁etiForms resultative verbs
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeh₁-to do, put, place

Words derived from “credible”

  • credibly
  • noncredible
  • uncredible
  • credibleness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- →