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believe

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believe

  • /bɪˈliːv/ UK
  • /bɪˈliv/ US
  • /bi-/ US
  • /bə-/ US

Sounds like beleave · Rhymes with -iːv

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der.

Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder.

Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider.

Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi

Proto-Germanic *bider.

Proto-Germanic *bi-

Proto-West Germanic *bi-

Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ-der.

Proto-Germanic *laubō

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Germanic *-janą

Proto-Germanic *laubijaną

Proto-West Germanic *laubijan

Proto-West Germanic *bilaubijan

Old English belīefan

Middle English bileven

English believe

From Middle English beleven, bileven, from Old English belīefan (“to believe”), from Proto-West Germanic *bilaubijan (“to believe”), equivalent to be- + leave (“to give leave or permission to, permit, allow, grant”). Cognate with Scots beleve (“to believe”), Old Frisian bilēva (“to permit”), Middle Dutch beloven (“to believe, entrust”), Middle Low German belö̂ven (“to believe”), Middle High German belouben (“to believe”).

A related term in Old English was ġelīefan (“to be dear to; believe, trust”), from Proto-West Germanic *galaubijan (“to have faith, believe”), from Proto-Germanic *galaubijaną. Compare also Old English ġelēafa (“belief, faith, confidence, trust”), Old English lēof ("dear, valued, beloved, pleasant, agreeable" > English lief). Related also to North Frisian leauwjen (“to believe”), Saterland Frisian leeuwe (“to believe”), West Frisian leauwe (“to believe”), Dutch geloven (“to believe”), German Low German glöven (“to believe”), German glauben (“to believe”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌾𐌰𐌽 (galaubjan, “to hold dear, valuable, or satisfactory, approve of, believe”).

The prepositionally transitive senses with in are a semantic loan from Latin crēdō in aliquem / aliquid.

verb believes · believing · believed · believe

  1. transitive To accept as true, particularly without absolute certainty (i.e., as opposed to knowing). If you believe the numbers, you'll agree we need change.
  2. transitive To accept that someone is telling the truth. Why did I ever believe you?
  3. transitive To have been convinced by rational means to accept the truth of a proposition.
  4. transitive To have been influenced by arational means (such as emotional experience, the imagination of need, etc.) to accept the truth of a proposition.
  5. intransitive To have religious faith; to believe in a greater truth. After that night in the church, I believed.
  6. transitive To opine, think, reckon. Do you think this is good? —Hmm, I believe it's okay.
  7. To ascribe existence to. Do you believe in God / the Easter Bunny / ghosts?
  8. To believe that (something) is right or desirable. I don't believe in sex before marriage.
  9. To have confidence in the ability or power of. I believe in you, man! You can do it!

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