faith (English)

Where does "faith" come from?

The English word 'faith' shares deep roots with the Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ-, meaning to trust or persuade, which eventually gave rise to the Latin word 'fidem.' Through the Old French 'fei' or 'feid,' the word entered Middle English, where it ultimately displaced the native Old English 'ġelēafa.' The distinctive '-th' ending was likely influenced by its adoption from French pronunciations or by its assimilation into the pattern of English abstract nouns like 'truth' or 'health'.

Full etymology tree

• faith (English), 'A trust or confidence in the intentions or abilities of a person, object, or ideal from prior empirical evidence.'
  • borrowed fei (Old French), 'alternative form of foi'
    • inherited fidem (Latin), 'accusative singular of fidēs (“faith; belief; trust”)'
      • inherited *bʰeydʰ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to trust'
  • affix -th (English), 'Used to form nouns from verbs of action.'

Direct ancestors

• bʰeydʰ- (Proto-Indo-European)
• feith (Middle English)
• foi (Old French)
• fides (Latin)
• geleafa (Old English)

Updated July 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris