believe

verb

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *laubō Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Germanic *-janą Proto-Germanic *laubijaną Proto-West Germanic *laubijan Proto-West Germanic *bilaubijan Old English belīefan Middle English bileven English believe From Middle English beleven, bileven, from Old English belīefan (“to believe”), from Proto-West Germanic *bilaubijan (“to believe”), equivalent to be- + leave (“to give leave or permission to, permit, allow, grant”). Cognate with Scots beleve (“to believe”), Old Frisian bilēva (“to permit”), Middle Dutch beloven (“to believe, entrust”), Middle Low German belö̂ven (“to believe”), Middle High German belouben (“to believe”). A related term in Old English was ġelīefan (“to be dear to; believe, trust”), from Proto-West Germanic *galaubijan (“to have faith, believe”), from Proto-Germanic *galaubijaną. Compare also Old English ġelēafa (“belief, faith, confidence, trust”), Old English lēof ("dear, valued, beloved, pleasant, agreeable" > English lief). Related also to North Frisian leauwjen (“to believe”), Saterland Frisian leeuwe (“to believe”), West Frisian leauwe (“to believe”), Dutch geloven (“to believe”), German Low German glöven (“to believe”), German glauben (“to believe”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌾𐌰𐌽 (galaubjan, “to hold dear, valuable, or satisfactory, approve of, believe”). The prepositionally transitive senses with in are a semantic loan from Latin crēdō in aliquem / aliquid.

1. To accept as true, particularly without absolute certainty (i.e., as opposed to knowing).

   “If you believe the numbers, you'll agree we need change.”

   “I believe there are faeries.”

2. To accept that someone is telling the truth.

   “Why did I ever believe you?”

   “BEloued, beleeue not euery ſpirit, but trie the ſpirits, whether they are of God: becauſe many falſe prophets are gone out into the woꝛld.”

3. To have been persuaded to accept the factuality of something despite a lack of sufficient evidence therefore.
4. To have been persuaded to accept the factuality of something despite a lack of sufficient evidence therefore.
5. To have religious faith; to believe in a greater truth.

   “After that night in the church, I believed.”

   “[N]ow ſuch a liue vngodly, vvithout a care of doing the wil of the Lord (though they profeſſe him in their mouths, yea though they beleeue and acknowledge all the Articles of the Creed, yea haue knowledge of the Scripturs) yet if they liue vngodly, they deny God, and therefore ſhal be denied, […]”

6. To opine, think, reckon.

   “Do you think this is good? —Hmm, I believe it's okay.”

   ““Some people believe him charismatic,” Van Assen told me. “I am less sensitive to it.””

7. [with in]

   “Do you believe in God / the Easter Bunny / ghosts?”

   “Since I don't believe in reincarnation, I believe that the only way to eliminate suffering is to die.”

8. [with in]

   “I don't believe in sex before marriage.”

   “I don't believe in making my bed.”

9. [with in]

   “I believe in you, man! You can do it!”

   “I believe in America. America has made my fortune and I raised my daughter in the American fashion.”