croire French · revision 16247

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 980, Passion de Clermont|origins=la crēdō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /kʁwaʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA: /kʁwɑʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''croire'''^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French [[m|fro|credre]] (about 980), [[m|fro|creire]] (1080), ''croire'' (12th century).^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(GLLF 1989) In 1703 the pronunciation ''crere'' was still given; on the stage ''je croa'' was said.^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|creire]], [[inh|la|crēdō|t=to entrust; to trust; to believe]].^(DHLF 1992)^(FEW|2, 1298b)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) The Latin verb was an old religious term of Indo-European origin, preserved only in Indo-Iranian (Vedic “śraddadhāti”) and Italo-Celtic (Old Irish “cretim”, Welsh “credaf” “I believe”).^(DHLF 1992)^(Littré 1873) Darmesteter, cited by Littré, analysed it as “I give my heart”, from the root of “heart” and “-dō” “I give”.^(Littré 1873) Like [[m|la|fidēs]], “crēdere” early took secular uses, “to trust someone”, “to entrust something to someone”, hence “to lend” (whence [[crédit]]), and “to believe someone or something”.^(DHLF 1992) Christianity gave it back a religious role, “crēdō” translating [[grc|πιστεύω|tr=pisteúō]].^(DHLF 1992) The construction “croire en” goes back to Church Latin “credere in deum”.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ Cognate with [[ro|crede]], [[it|credere]], [[oc|creire]], [[ca|creure]], [[es|creer]] and [[pt|crer]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In the second half of the 10th century, in the ''Vie de saint Léger'', ''credre in Deu'' means “to believe in God”, and ''credre'' + object “to accept something as true”; the ''Passion de Clermont'' has ''credre'' “to believe (someone's words)”.^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ ''En croire qqn'' dates from the middle of the 11th century, and ''en croire ses yeux'' from the 12th (Chrétien de Troyes).^(TLFi) ''Croire à'' (Pascal, before 1662) is used of things or ideas one believes real.^(TLFi) The intransitive ''croire'' “to have faith” is found in the first half of the 12th century, and the noun ''le croire'' in 1622.^(TLFi)

+

+ Derivatives include [[créance]] (11th century), [[croyance]] (14th century, Oresme), ''mécréant'' (12th century) and ''recru'' “worn out” (about 1080), from the old verb ''se recroire'' “to give in”.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) English ''recreant'' “coward” comes from ''recroire''.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 2nd half of 10th century – ''Credre in Deu'' in the ''Vie de saint Léger''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1050 – ''En croire qqn'', ''créance''.^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1080 – The form ''creire'' in the ''Chanson de Roland''.^(Grand Robert 2005)

+ * 12th century – The form ''croire''.^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 14th century – ''Croyance'' in Oresme.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * before 1662 – ''Croire à'' in Pascal.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|believe]], to accept as true: ''croire une histoire''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # To believe (someone), to trust their word: ''je te crois''.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # To think, to suppose: ''je crois qu'il viendra'', ''croire'' + infinitive: ''il croit avoir raison''.^(GLLF 1989)

+ # ''Croire à'': to believe in (the reality or worth of something): ''croire au progrès''.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # ''Croire en'': to believe in, to have faith in: ''croire en Dieu''.^(Wiktionary)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ # ''Se croire'': to think oneself: ''il se croit malin''.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[accroire]]

+ * [[créance]]

+ * [[croyance]]

+ * [[mécréant]]

+ * [[recru]]

+ * [[incroyable]]

+ * [[croyant]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[crédit]]

+ * [[crédule]]

+ * [[credo]]

+ * [[la|crēdō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}