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Belief
//bɪˈliːf// noun
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Mental acceptance of a claim as true. countable, uncountable
"It's my belief that the thief is somebody known to us."
- 2 a vague idea in which some confidence is placed wordnet
- 3 Faith or trust in the reality of something; often based upon one's own reasoning, trust in a claim, desire of actuality, and/or evidence considered. countable, uncountable
"My belief is that there is a bear in the woods. Bill said he saw one."
- 4 any cognitive content held as true wordnet
- 5 Something believed. countable
"The ancient people have a belief in many deities."
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- 6 The quality or state of believing. uncountable
"My belief that it will rain tomorrow is strong."
- 7 Religious faith. uncountable
"She often said it was her belief that carried her through the hard times."
- 8 One's religious or moral convictions. countable, in-plural, uncountable
"I can't do that. It's against my beliefs."
Etymology
From Middle English bileve, from Old English lēafa, from Proto-West Germanic *laubu from Proto-Germanic *laubō. Compare German Glaube (“faith, belief”). The replacement of final /v/ with /f/ is due to the analogy of noun-verb pairs with /f/ in the noun but /v/ in the verb, creating a pair belief : believe on the model of e.g. grief : grieve or proof : prove.
See also for "belief"
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