credulitas

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [kreːˈdʊ.lɪ.taːs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [kreˈduː.li.tas]^[1]

Forms

crēdulitās f (genitive crēdulitātis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from crēdulus “credulous” with the suffix -tās; ⟨crēdulus⟩ is from crēdō “to believe”, which de Vaan traces to Proto-Indo-European *ḱred-dʰeh₁- (“to place in the heart, believe”).^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Gaffiot's earliest citation is Plancus, in a letter in Cicero's collection, and Lewis & Short note it is never in Cicero himself and becomes frequent after Augustus.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

It was easiness of belief, credulity, trustfulness, as in Curtius and Quintilian.^[2][4]

In Christian and Medieval Latin it was religious faith, belief; trust, credit; reliability; credibility.^[6][7] British Medieval Latin used it also for an article of belief, accreditation, and litterae crēdulitātis letters of credence.^[8] English credulity (early 15th century) first meant “faith, belief”.^[9]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Plancus uses it in a letter in Cicero's correspondence.^[4][10]
• c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it.^[4][10]
• early 15th century – English credulity is recorded.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. Credulity, trustfulness.^[2]
2. (Ecclesiastical Latin) Religious faith, belief.^[6][7]
3. (Medieval Latin) Trust, credit; reliability; credence.^[6][8]

Related words

• crēdulus
• crēdō
• English credulity

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
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
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de