UsNow.app · The 📖 Words · Knowledge & Learning

Belief

Conviction without proof — faith, trust, or opinion — often used interchangeably.

How We Say It

bi·leef

Where It Comes From

Old English geleafa — trust, confidence. Related to the German Glaube. Rooted in Proto-Germanic words meaning 'to love' or 'to hold dear.' Originally closer to trust in a person than acceptance of a proposition.

How It's Been Used

Flattened over time to mean any held opinion. The phrase 'I believe' now covers everything from theological conviction to preference. The conflation of belief with fact is one of the defining rhetorical moves of contemporary discourse.

Jump to Letter

A B C D E F G H I JKL M N O PQR S T U V WXYZ