confidentia

Forms

cōnfīdentia f (genitive cōnfīdentiae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin cōnfīdēns (“confident, bold”) + -ia,^[2][1] the participle of cōnfīdō “to trust firmly”, from con- and fīdō “to trust”.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Naevius, in a tragedy, says all the confidence of speech has fallen away.^[2] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC and marks the attestation as uncertain.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant assurance or self-confidence, and a firm belief, often in the phrase cōnfīdentia est with an infinitive, as Plautus' slave is confident he can defeat his enemies.^[2][5] In a bad sense it was audacity or impudence, as Plautus asks with what impudence someone demands so much money, and Cato pairs it with audācia.^[2] Lewis & Short note that the sense of firm trust is rare, while that of boldness is common.^[6]

In medieval Latin it was a sworn promise and, in British documents, trust and letters of credence.^[7][8] English confidence is recorded around 1400.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it of confidence of speech.^[2][4]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of confidence and impudence.^[2][4]
• c. 1400 – English confidence is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. Assurance, self-confidence.^[2][1]
2. A firm belief or expectation.^[2]
3. Boldness, audacity, impudence.^[2][1]
4. (Medieval Latin) A sworn promise; trust.^[7][8]

Related words

• cōnfīdēns
• cōnfīdō
• English confidence

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press