源etymfun
About

Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

English

believe

/bɪˈliːv/
To accept as true, particularly without absolute certainty (i.e., as opposed to knowing).

    Etymology graph

    • inherited
    • borrowed
    • derived
    • parts
    • meaning component
    • sound component
    • related
    React Flow
    Press enter or space to select a node. You can then use the arrow keys to move the node around. Press delete to remove it and escape to cancel.
    Press enter or space to select an edge. You can then press delete to remove it or escape to cancel.

    Click a node to zoom in · double-click to open it

    Origin

    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.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishbileven
      • inheritedOld Englishbelīefan
        • inheritedProto-West Germanic*bilaubijan
          • partProto-West Germanic*bi- “be-”
            • derivedProto-West Germanic*bī
              • inheritedProto-Germanic*bi “near, by”
            • inheritedProto-Germanic*bi- “be-”
              • derivedProto-Indo-European*glemb-
          • partProto-West Germanic*laubijan
            • inheritedProto-Germanic*laubijaną “to allow, praise”
              • partProto-Germanic*laubō
                • derivedProto-Indo-European*lewbʰ- “love, care, desire”
              • partProto-Germanic*-janą
                • inheritedProto-Indo-European*-yéti
                • inheritedProto-Indo-European*-éyeti

    Related: English lief, Scots beleve, Old Frisian bilēva, Middle Dutch beloven, Middle Low German belö̂ven, Middle High German belouben, Proto-West Germanic *galaubijan, Proto-Germanic *galaubijaną, North Frisian leauwjen, Saterland Frisian leeuwe, West Frisian leauwe, Dutch geloven, German Low German glöven, German glauben, Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌾𐌰𐌽

    Meanings

    verb
    1. To accept as true, particularly without absolute certainty (i.e., as opposed to knowing).
    2. To accept that someone is telling the truth.
    3. To have been convinced by rational means to accept the truth of a proposition.
    4. To have been influenced by arational means (such as emotional experience, the imagination of need, etc.) to accept the truth of a proposition.
    5. To have religious faith; to believe in a greater truth.
    6. To opine, think, reckon.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: believe