faith
UK[feɪθ]US[feɪθ]
n
Complete trust or confidence in someone or something
n
Strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof
Etymology
The word 'faith' has a direct lineage from the Proto-Indo-European concept of trust, bʰeydʰ-. This root evolved into the Latin fidēs, which carried the core meanings of trust, confidence, and faithfulness. Entering English via Old French after the Norman Conquest, the word shed its Latin inflection and settled into its modern spelling and pronunciation. The semantic journey is remarkably consistent, moving from the general act of trusting or being persuaded, to a specific, profound trust in spiritual or personal realms, retaining the core idea of conviction beyond empirical evidence.
Analysis
This is a simplex word. It is a loanword from Old French feid, feit, which itself came from Latin fidēs (trust, faith, confidence). The Latin root is from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root bʰeydʰ-, meaning "to trust, confide, persuade."
Examples
She has great faith in her team's ability to succeed.
People of all faiths gathered for the interfaith service.
He kept the promise in good faith.