Etymologically
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believer

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 26 October 2026 at 00:23. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /bɪˈliːvə/[1]
  • US: /bɪˈlivɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English believe + -er,[2][3][4] in Middle English biliver, from bileven (“to believe”).[5] The OED compares Old High German gloubāre, found only in the compound irregloubāre (“heretic”), and Middle High German gelouber, a word that German has replaced with Gläubiger.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person who believes in a god or in the doctrines of a religion, especially a Christian: before 1425, in the Lanterne of Liȝt,[2] in the OED's revised entry of 2011; the first edition dated this sense to 1549,[6] and Etymonline to the 1540s.[3]

Semantic evolution

The religious sense came first; from the 1590s, in Nashe, the word was also used of someone who believes in the truth, value or efficacy of anything,[2][3] Johnson (1755) gave both meanings, the general one first.[4] In 20th-century American slang a believer was a gullible person, and to make a believer (out of) someone meant to convince them, from 1925 in Dashiell Hammett.[7] Truck drivers called a driver who followed every rule a believer,[8] and in the Vietnam war the word was used for a dead enemy soldier.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 1425 – a person who holds a religious faith.[2]
  • 1530 – believer in a god or doctrine.[2]
  • 1596 – a person who believes in the truth or value of something.[2]
  • 1646 – in absolute use, a person who believes.[2]
  • 1755 – Johnson defines it as one who believes or gives credit, and a professor of Christianity.[4]
  • 1925 – American slang make a believer out of, to convince.[7]
  • 1971 – trucking slang, a driver who follows every rule.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A person who believes in something, or is convinced of its value: She is a great believer in early nights.[5][2]
  2. A person who holds a religious faith, especially a Christian.[5][2][4]
  3. (US slang) In make a believer (out) of: to convince someone.[7]

Word family

  • prebeliever
  • true believer

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  8. ^ a b c Dalzell, Tom; Victor, Terry, eds. (2013), The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 2nd ed., London: Routledge