credible English · revision 39816

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=a1393, J. Gower, Confessio Amantis|origins=la crēdō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈkɹɛdəbl̩/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is partly [[bor|xno|credible]] and partly [[bor|la|crēdibilis|t=believable, worthy of belief]],^(OED 2026)^(Dictionary.com 2016) which the American Heritage Dictionary, Barnhart and Merriam-Webster give as the source,^(AHD 2024)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MWU 2024) formed on [[m|la|crēdō|t=to believe, trust]] with the suffix that became [[-ible]].^(OED 2026)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Collins 2023) The Latin verb is also the source of [[credit]] and [[creed]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(Klein 1966) The Anglo-Norman adjective is recorded from the early 12th century, meaning believable or trustworthy.^(AND)^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Of information or evidence, able to be believed and worthy of trust: a1393, in Gower's ''Confessio Amantis''.^(OED 2026) Barnhart dates the word to about 1380, in Chaucer's translation of Boethius,^(Barnhart 1988) which the OED dates ?c1400 for the sense "believable" of an account.^(OED 2026) Of a person or source it is recorded from 1420.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Two older senses have died out: "inclined to believe, credulous" (c1425), now replaced by [[credulous]], and "of good repute, creditable" (1543), which survives only of a performance or effort.^(OED 2026)^(MWU 2024)^(SOED 2002) Johnson (1755) defined it as deserving belief, quoting Hooker on how things are made credible.^(Johnson 1755) In northern Yorkshire dialect ''creedible'' meant trustworthy or respectable.^(Wright 1898) The newest sense, "convincing as a real possibility", began in 1960 with nuclear weapons judged likely to be used, the ''credible deterrent'',^(OED 2026)^(SOED 2002) and spread to threats, candidates and rivals in general.^(OED 2026)^(Collins 2023) The noun [[credibility]] is recorded from 1594.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * a1393 – of information or evidence, worthy of belief.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1420 – of a person, trustworthy.^(OED 2026)

+ * c1425 – (obsolete) credulous.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1543 – creditable, reputable.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1594 – ''credibility''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1960 – of a weapon or threat, convincing as a real possibility.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Able to be [[believe|alt=believed]]; [[plausible]]: ''Her account of the evening was entirely credible.''^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # Deserving [[trust]]; [[reliable]]: ''a credible source''.^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # Convincing as a real possibility or as a serious contender: ''The party has no credible candidate for mayor.''^(OED 2026)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[credibleness]]

+ * [[credibly]]

+ * [[credibility]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[credit]]

+ * [[credence]]

+ * [[credential]]

+ * [[creed]]

+ * [[credulous]]

+ * [[incredible]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Dictionary.com lists ''credible'' among words easily confused with ''creditable'' and ''credulous''.^(Dictionary.com 2016)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}