credit
UK[ˈkredɪt]US[ˈkredɪt]
n
The ability to obtain goods or services before payment, based on the trust that payment will be made in the future.
n
Public acknowledgment or praise given for an achievement or quality.
n
A unit of study counting towards a degree or diploma.
v
To add an amount of money to an account.
v
To believe that something is true or that someone has a particular quality.
Morpheme Breakdown
cred
it
cred
believe, trust
it
noun suffix
Etymology
The word 'credit' entered English in the 16th century from Middle French 'credit', which itself originated from Italian 'credito'. These Romance language forms trace back to Latin 'creditum', meaning "a loan, thing entrusted to another," which is the neuter past participle of the verb 'crēdere' (to believe, trust, entrust). The semantic journey from the literal act of believing someone to the modern financial and reputational senses is clear: financial credit is based on trust in future repayment, and reputational credit is based on belief in one's merits. The Latin 'crēdere' is believed to derive from the Proto-Indo-European root ḱred dʰē-, meaning "to place one's heart," linking the deepest sense of trust to an internal, heartfelt conviction.
Analysis
Structure: cred (believe, trust) + it (noun suffix)
- cred: From Latin 'crēdere' (to believe, trust, entrust). In English, it functions as a bound root conveying the core sense of belief or trust.
- it: A noun-forming suffix, often derived from Latin past participle endings like '-itus', indicating a state or result. In this word, it nominalizes the action or concept of believing/trusting.
Examples
She bought the furniture on credit and will pay for it over six months.
He deserves full credit for the success of the project.
The bank credited my account with the refund.