Etymologically
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credibility

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 16:12. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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

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