creditum

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkreː.dɪ.tũː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkrɛː.di.tum]^[1]

Forms

crēditum n (genitive crēditī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is the neuter of crēditus, the perfect passive participle of crēdō “to entrust, lend, believe”, used as a noun.^[2][1][3] De Vaan traces ⟨crēdō⟩ to Proto-Italic *krezde/o-, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱred-dʰeh₁- (“to place the heart, believe”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is Livy, who has crēditum solvere “to pay a debt”.^[5][6] Köbler dates Livy 59 BC–17 AD.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant what is lent or entrusted, a loan, a debt, as in Livy and Quintilian, and in the jurists of the Digest, as in Ulpian.^[2][6]

Italian credito, Spanish and Portuguese crédito and French crédit are learned borrowings of it.^[1] English credit (1540s, “belief, faith”) came from French crédit, from Italian credito, from this word.^[3]

Timeline

• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of a debt.^[6][5]
• before 223 AD – Ulpian uses it in law.^[2][5]
• 1540s – English credit is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. What is lent or entrusted; a loan, debt.^[2][6]

Related words

• crēdō
• crēditor
• English credit

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.