believe
/bɪˈliːv/
verb
Origin
Old English
belēfan — to hold dear, to love, to trust
Overview
Meaning Now
- To accept something as true or real.
- To hold an opinion or conviction; to think or suppose.
Literal older meaning
to hold dear, to love
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
belyven
Earliest period
12th century
Journey
The word stems from a Proto-Germanic root relating to love and trust, highlighting the historical semantic connection between 'loving something' and 'accepting it as true.'
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*leubh-
“to care, desire, love”
- Proto-Germanic
*laubjan
“to permit, to approve”
- Old English
gelēfan
“to trust, to believe”
Prefix ge- was common in Old English verbs.
- Middle English
beleven
“to accept as true”
Connections
Word parts
be-
prefix
intensive or transitive marker
lieve
root
to trust, to love
Related across languages
German
glauben
to believe
Dutch
geloven
to believe
Related words
Explore next
Related to believe
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.