faith

adv

Etymology: From Middle English faith (also fay), borrowed from Old French fei, feid, from Latin fidem. Doublet of foy. Displaced native Old English ġelēafa, which was also a word for belief. * Old French had [θ] as a final devoiced allophone of /ð/ from lenited Latin /d/; this eventually fell silent in the 12th century. The -th of the Middle English forms is most straightforwardly accounted for as a direct borrowing of a French [θ]. However, it has also been seen as arising from alteration of a French form with -d under influence of English abstract nouns in the suffix -th (e.g., truth, ruth, health, etc.), or as a recharacterization of a French form like fay, fey, fei with the same suffix. Compare Champenois fiate, fiaite, showing the same preservation of the final consonant.

1. Alternative form of in faith (“really, truly”).

   ““How wonderfully,” said Vincent, “your city dignities unloose the tongue: directly a man has been a mayor, he thinks himself qualified for a Tully at least. Faith, Venables asked me one day, what was the Latin for spouting? and I told him, ‘hippomanes, or a raging humour in mayors.’””

   “'Faith, friend,' he says, 'that was a nasty fall for a fellow that has supped weel. Where might your road be gaun to?'”

intj

Etymology: From Middle English faith (also fay), borrowed from Old French fei, feid, from Latin fidem. Doublet of foy. Displaced native Old English ġelēafa, which was also a word for belief. * Old French had [θ] as a final devoiced allophone of /ð/ from lenited Latin /d/; this eventually fell silent in the 12th century. The -th of the Middle English forms is most straightforwardly accounted for as a direct borrowing of a French [θ]. However, it has also been seen as arising from alteration of a French form with -d under influence of English abstract nouns in the suffix -th (e.g., truth, ruth, health, etc.), or as a recharacterization of a French form like fay, fey, fei with the same suffix. Compare Champenois fiate, fiaite, showing the same preservation of the final consonant.

1. Ellipsis of by my faith.

name

1. A female given name from English.

   “"Now, I was called Faith after the cardinal virtue; and I like my name, though many people would think it too Puritan; that was according to our gentle mother's pious desire.”

   ““Faith.” “No name that—no name that! I can’t stomach such a name. Got any other?” “No, sir.” “Don’t like the name, don’t like it. There’s no smeddum to it. Besides, it makes me think of my Aunt Jinny. She called her three girls Faith, Hope, and Charity. Faith didn’t believe in anything—Hope was a born pessimist—and Charity was a miser.”

2. A surname, also used as a stage name.
3. A place in the United States:
4. A place in the United States:
5. A place in the United States:
6. A place in the United States:

noun

Etymology: From Middle English faith (also fay), borrowed from Old French fei, feid, from Latin fidem. Doublet of foy. Displaced native Old English ġelēafa, which was also a word for belief. * Old French had [θ] as a final devoiced allophone of /ð/ from lenited Latin /d/; this eventually fell silent in the 12th century. The -th of the Middle English forms is most straightforwardly accounted for as a direct borrowing of a French [θ]. However, it has also been seen as arising from alteration of a French form with -d under influence of English abstract nouns in the suffix -th (e.g., truth, ruth, health, etc.), or as a recharacterization of a French form like fay, fey, fei with the same suffix. Compare Champenois fiate, fiaite, showing the same preservation of the final consonant.

1. A trust or confidence in the intentions or abilities of a person, object, or ideal from prior empirical evidence.

   “The faithfulness of Old Faithful gives us faith in it.”

   “I have faith in the goodness of my fellow man.”

2. A conviction about abstractions, ideas, or beliefs, without empirical evidence, experience, or observation.

   “I have faith that my prayers will be answered.”

   “I have faith in the healing power of crystals.”

3. A religious or spiritual belief system.

   “The Christian faith.”

   “We seek justice for the Indo-European Folk Faith; what's wrong in our literature for that?”

4. An obligation of loyalty or fidelity and the observance of such an obligation.

   “He acted in good faith to restore broken diplomatic ties after defeating the incumbent.”

5. Credibility or truth.

   “1784-1810, William Mitford, History of Greece the faith of the foregoing […] narrative”