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Word Roots

2 roots • 8 words

CRED

Root Meaning:

CRED comes from credere, the Latin verb meaning “to believe” or “to entrust.” We have a good credit rating when institutions trust in our ability to repay a loan, and we carry credentials so that others will believe that we are who we say we are.

Etymology:

Latin
4 words derived from this root

Words from this root:

credence

/ˈkriːdəns/
Definition:
Mental acceptance of something as true or real; belief.
Example:
He scoffed and said no one still gives any credence to the story of the Loch Ness monster.
Explanation:
*Credence* is close in meaning to *belief,* but there are differences. Unlike *belief, credence* is seldom used in connection with faith in a religion or philosophy. Instead *credence* is often used in reference to reports, rumors, and opinions. And, unlike *belief*, it tends to be used with the words *give, lack, lend,*and *gain*. So a new piece of evidence may lend credence to the alibi of a criminal suspect. Claims that a political candidate can become the next President gain credence only after the candidate wins a few primaries. And although stories about Elvis sightings persist, they lack credence for most people.

credible

/ˈkredəbəl/
Definition:
(1) Able to be believed; reasonable to trust or believe. (2) Good enough to be effective.
Example:
Because of her past criminal record, the defense lawyers knew she wouldn't be a credible witness.
Explanation:
Credible evidence is evidence that's likely to be believed. A credible plan is one that might actually work, and a credible excuse is one your parents might actually believe. And just as *credible* means “believable,” the noun *credibility* means “believability.” (But we no longer use *incredible* to mean the literal opposite of *credible*, just as we no longer use *unbelievable* as the literal opposite of *believable*.) Since *cred* is short for *credibility*, “street cred” is the kind of credibility among tough young people that you can only get by proving yourself on the mean streets of the inner city.

credulity

/krɪˈdjuːləti/
Definition:
Readiness and willingness to believe on the basis of little evidence.
Example:
Thrillers and action movies only succeed if they don't strain our credulity too much.
Explanation:
A particularly far-fetched story may be said to strain credulity, stretch credulity, put demands on our credulity, or make claims on our credulity. Credulity is a quality of innocent children (of all ages) and isn't always a bad thing; it must have been pure credulity that enabled Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies fans to wait so long for a World Series victory (“This is the year they're going to take it!”), which probably made life bearable for them. The related adjective is *credulous.* F. Scott Fitzgerald once defined advertising as “making dubious promises to a credulous public.”

credo

/ˈkriːdoʊ/
Definition:
(1) A statement of the basic beliefs of a religious faith. (2) A set of guiding principles or beliefs.
Example:
She claims she made her money on Wall Street just by following the old credo “Buy low, sell high.”
Explanation:
*Credo* comes straight from the Latin word meaning “I believe,” and is the first word of many religious credos, or *creeds*, such as the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. But the word can be applied to any guiding principle or set of principles. Of course, you may choose a different credo when you're 52 than when you're 19. But here is the credo of the writer H. L. Mencken, written after he had lived quite a few years: “I believe that it is better to tell the truth than to lie. I believe that it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe that it is better to know than to be ignorant.”

FID

Root Meaning:

FID comes from fides, the Latin word for “faith” or “trust.” Fidelity is another word for “faithfulness.” Confidence is having faith in someone or something. An infidel is someone who lacks a particular kind of religious faith. And the once-popular dog's name Fido is Latin for “I trust.”

Etymology:

Latin
4 words derived from this root

Words from this root:

affidavit

/ˌæfɪˈdeɪvɪt/
Definition:
A sworn statement made in writing.
Example:
The whole family had signed affidavits stating that they believed the will to be valid.
Explanation:
In Latin, *affidavit* means “he (she) has sworn an oath,” and an affidavit is always a sworn written document. If it contains a lie, the person making it may be prosecuted. Affidavits are often used in court when it isn't possible for someone to appear in person. Police officers must usually file an affidavit with a judge to get a search warrant. Affidavits (unlike similar signed statements called *depositions*) are usually made without an opposing lawyer being present and able to ask questions.

diffident

/ˈdɪfɪdənt/
Definition:
Lacking confidence; timid, cautious.
Example:
He always found it a struggle to get his most diffident students to speak in front of the class.
Explanation:
*Diffident* means lacking faith in oneself—in other words, the opposite of *confident*. Distrust in your abilities or opinions usually makes you hesitate to speak or act. Patients who feel diffident around their doctors, for example, don't dare ask them many questions. A helpful friend tries to instill confidence in place of *diffidence.*

fiduciary

/fɪˈdjuːʃieri/
Definition:
(1) Having to do with a confidence or trust. (2) Held in trust for another.
Example:
Pension-fund managers have a fiduciary responsibility to invest the pension's funds for the sole benefit of those who will receive the pensions.
Explanation:
A fiduciary relationship is one in which one person places faith in another. Stockbrokers and real-estate agents have fiduciary duties to their clients, which means they must act in their clients' best financial interests. Members of a company's board of directors have a fiduciary responsibility to protect the financial interests of the company's shareholders. There are legal requirements for those with fiduciary responsibility, and they can be sued for breach of fiduciary duty if they fail.

perfidy

/ˈpɜːrfɪdi/
Definition:
Faithlessness, disloyalty, or treachery.
Example:
While working for the CIA he was lured into becoming a double agent, and it seems he paid a high price for his perfidy.
Explanation:
The *perfidious* Benedict Arnold plotted with the British to surrender West Point to them during the American Revolution—an act that made his name a synonym for *traitor*. In recent years, the perfidy of the double agents Aldrich Ames (of the CIA) and Robert Hanssen (of the FBI) has become notorious.

Audio Learning

Unit 4 - Split 2

Conversation Script

Follow along with Alex and Ben

Alex
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Word Builders, the show where we believe in the power of words.
Ben
I see what you did there, Alex. And speaking of belief, how much do you think our modern world runs on simple trust?
Alex
It's everything, Ben. From the money we use to the news we read. Which is why today, we're exploring two Latin roots that are the foundation of belief and trust.
Ben
I'm ready to become a believer. What’s our first root?
Alex
Our first root is C-R-E-D, from the Latin verb *credere*, which means “to believe” or “to entrust.” It’s why we have a good *credit* rating when banks trust us, or carry *credentials* so people believe we are who we say we are.
Ben
That makes sense. So, where do we start?
Alex
Let’s start with the noun, credence. That’s C-R-E-D-E-N-C-E. Credence.
Ben
Credence. It sounds a bit like a more formal version of belief.
Alex
It is. Credence is the mental acceptance of something as true or real. For example, you might say, “He scoffed and said no one still gives any credence to the story of the Loch Ness monster.”
Ben
So how is it different from just saying ‘belief’?
Alex
Good question. Credence is rarely used for religious faith. It’s more for reports, rumors, or opinions. We often use it with verbs like ‘give’, ‘lend’, or ‘gain’. A new piece of evidence can ‘lend credence’ to a theory.
Ben
Got it. So if a story has credence, that must make it… credible?
Alex
Exactly! Our next word is credible. C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E. It means able to be believed, or reasonable to trust.
Ben
So a witness in court needs to be credible for the jury to believe them.
Alex
Precisely. A lawyer might worry that, “Because of her past criminal record, she wouldn't be a credible witness.” A credible plan is one that seems like it could work. The noun form is, of course, credibility.
Ben
And I’ve heard the term ‘street cred.’ Is that related?
Alex
It is! ‘Cred’ is short for credibility. So ‘street cred’ is the credibility you earn on the streets, so to speak.
Ben
Okay, so we have believing something, and being believable. What about believing things *too* easily?
Alex
An excellent point, Ben. That brings us to credulity. C-R-E-D-U-L-I-T-Y. Credulity. It’s the readiness to believe something on very little evidence.
Ben
Like a really far-fetched movie plot?
Alex
Yes, a wild plot might be said to ‘strain our credulity.’ Thrillers have to be careful not to stretch the audience’s credulity too far. It's a quality we often associate with innocence, but as F. Scott Fitzgerald said, advertising involves "making dubious promises to a credulous public."
Ben
Ha! That still feels true today. Let's do one more from this root.
Alex
Let’s end with credo. C-R-E-D-O. A credo is a statement of basic beliefs or guiding principles.
Ben
Is that where we get the word creed?
Alex
It is. *Credo* is Latin for “I believe.” It’s the first word in many religious creeds. But it can also be a personal or professional philosophy. For instance, an investor might live by the credo, “Buy low, sell high.”
Ben
A simple, but powerful, belief system.
Alex
It certainly is. Now, moving from belief, let’s talk about its close cousin: trust.
Ben
A perfect transition. What’s our root for trust?
Alex
That would be F-I-D, from the Latin word *fides*, meaning “faith” or “trust.” It gives us words like fidelity, for faithfulness, and even the classic dog's name Fido, which is Latin for "I trust."
Ben
I had no idea about Fido! So what’s our first ‘FID’ word?
Alex
Let’s start with a legal one: affidavit. A-F-F-I-D-A-V-I-T.
Ben
Affidavit. I've heard that on crime shows. It’s some kind of official statement, right?
Alex
Exactly. An affidavit is a sworn statement made in writing. The word itself means “he or she has sworn an oath” in Latin. For example, “The whole family had signed affidavits stating that they believed the will to be valid.” It’s a serious document.
Ben
So it’s about putting your trust in the truth of a statement. What about a word that sounds similar, diffident? Does that mean a different kind of statement?
Alex
Not quite, but it’s still about trust, or rather, a lack of it. Diffident, D-I-F-F-I-D-E-N-T, means lacking confidence, or being timid and cautious.
Ben
So it’s about a lack of faith in *oneself*?
Alex
You’ve got it. It’s the opposite of confident. A teacher might say, “He always found it a struggle to get his most diffident students to speak in front of the class.”
Ben
That makes sense. It’s hard to act if you don’t trust your own abilities. What about trust in a professional setting, like with money?
Alex
That leads us perfectly to our next word: fiduciary. F-I-D-U-C-I-A-R-Y.
Ben
Fiduciary. That sounds very official.
Alex
It is. It has to do with a relationship of confidence or trust, usually financial. For example, “Pension-fund managers have a fiduciary responsibility to protect the investors’ money.” It means they must be trustworthy and act in their clients’ best interest.
Ben
So there’s a legal duty of trust. But what do we call it when someone breaks that trust?
Alex
The ultimate betrayal of trust is known as perfidy. P-E-R-F-I-D-Y. It means faithlessness, disloyalty, or treachery.
Ben
That’s a strong word.
Alex
It is reserved for serious acts of betrayal. The famous traitor Benedict Arnold is a classic example of perfidy. A more modern sentence might be, “While working for the CIA he was lured into becoming a double agent, and it seems he paid a high price for his perfidy.”
Ben
A chilling reminder of what happens when faith is broken. That was a fantastic list, Alex.
Alex
Ready for a quick review?
Ben
Let’s do it.
Alex
From the root CRED, meaning “to believe,” we had credence, the acceptance of something as true.
Ben
Credible, meaning believable or trustworthy.
Alex
Credulity, the tendency to believe too easily.
Ben
And credo, a statement of guiding beliefs.
Alex
Then, from the root FID, meaning “faith” or “trust,” we had affidavit, a sworn written statement.
Ben
Diffident, meaning shy and lacking in self-confidence.
Alex
Fiduciary, describing a relationship of financial trust.
Ben
And finally, perfidy, the act of treachery and betrayal.
Alex
Excellent summary, Ben. Trust and belief really do build so much of our language.
Ben
And our world. Thanks for building our vocabulary once again, Alex.
Alex
My pleasure. A big thank you to all our listeners for tuning in.
Ben
Join us next time for another episode of Word Builders
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