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
- Believable or plausible; Authentic or convincing
Ancestry of “credible”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | credible | credible believable, plausible |
| 2 | Old French | credible | — |
| 3 | Latin | crēdibilis | credible, worthy of belief, believable |
| 4 | Latin | crēdō | to believe, to trust in, to give credence to |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | krezdō | to believe |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱréddʰh₁eti | to believe, trust |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -dʰh₁eti | Forms resultative verbs |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeh₁- | to do, put, place |