bonafide
/ˌboʊnəˈfaɪdi/
adjective
Origin
Latin
bona fide — in good faith
Overview
Meaning Now
- Genuine; real; authentic.
- Made or carried out in good faith; sincere.
Literal older meaning
in good faith
Language path
Latin → English
Earliest form
bona fide
Earliest period
18th century
Journey
The term is derived from the Latin legal concept of 'bona fides', which refers to honesty and sincerity of intention in contracts. Over time, the phrase entered English legal terminology before becoming widely used in general parlance as a synonym for 'genuine'.
Evolution
- Classical Latin
bona fide
“in good faith”
Ablative case of bona fides.
- 18th-century English
bona fide
“genuine or sincere”
Borrowed into English as a formal legal term.
- Modern English
bonafide
“genuine”
Transitioned to a single-word adjectival form.
Connections
Word parts
bona
root
good
fide
root
faith/trust
Related across languages
French
de bonne foi
in good faith
Italian
in buona fede
in good faith
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Related to bonafide
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.