credibility

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kɹɛd.əˈbɪ.ɫɪ.ti/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin crēdibilitās,^[2][3][4] from Latin crēdibilis (“believable”) (see credible), from crēdō (“to believe”).^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The quality of being credible, of deserving belief: 1594 in the OED and Merriam-Webster, the 1590s in Etymonline.^[5][3][2]

Semantic evolution

In defence policy, the believability of a nuclear deterrent is a sense from 1960.^[5] Credibility gap is American English from 1966, first of official statements about the Vietnam War.^[2][5]

Timeline

• 1594 – credibility.^[5][3]
• 1960 – credibility of a deterrent.^[5]
• 1966 – credibility gap.^[2][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The quality of being believed or trusted.

Word family

• noncredibility
• credibility gap

Related words

• credence
• credible
• credit
• credo
• creed
• incredible

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press