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Webster 1913 Edition

Faith

Faith

(fāth)
,
Noun.
[OE.
feith
,
fayth
,
fay
, OF.
feid
,
feit
,
fei
, F.
foi
, fr. L.
fides
; akin to
fidere
to trust, Gr.
πείθειν
to persuade. The ending
th
is perhaps due to the influence of such words as
truth
,
health
,
wealth
. See
Bid
,
Bide
, and cf.
Confide
,
Defy
,
Fealty
.]
1.
Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting solely and implicitly on his authority and veracity; reliance on testimony.
2.
The assent of the mind to the statement or proposition of another, on the ground of the manifest truth of what he utters; firm and earnest belief, on probable evidence of any kind, especially in regard to important moral truth.
Faith
, that is, fidelity, – the fealty of the finite will and understanding to the reason.
Coleridge.
3.
(Judeo-Christian Theol.)
(a)
The belief in the historic truthfulness of the Scripture narrative, and the supernatural origin of its teachings, sometimes called historical and speculative faith.
(b)
(Christian Theol.)
The belief in the facts and truth of the Scriptures, with a practical love of them; especially, that confiding and affectionate belief in the person and work of Christ, which affects the character and life, and makes a man a true Christian, – called a practical, evangelical, or saving faith.
Without
faith
it is impossible to please him [God].
Heb. xi. 6.
The
faith
of the gospel is that emotion of the mind which is called “trust” or “confidence” exercised toward the moral character of God, and particularly of the Savior.
Dr. T. Dwight.
Faith
is an affectionate, practical confidence in the testimony of God.
J. Hawes.
Which to believe of her,
Must be a
faith
that reason without miracle
Could never plant in me.
Shakespeare
Now preacheth the
faith
which once he destroyed.
Gal. i. 23.
5.
Fidelity to one’s promises, or allegiance to duty, or to a person honored and beloved; loyalty.
Children in whom is no
faith
.
Deut. xxvii. 20.
Whose failing, while her
faith
to me remains,
I should conceal.
Milton.
6.
Word or honor pledged; promise given; fidelity;
as, he violated his
faith
.
For you alone
I broke me
faith
with injured Palamon.
Dryden.
7.
Credibility or truth.
[R.]
The
faith
of the foregoing narrative.
Mitford.
Act of faith
.
See
Auto-da-fé
.
–
Breach of faith
,
Confession of faith
,
etc. See under
Breach
,
Confession
, etc.
–
Faith cure
,
a method or practice of treating diseases by prayer and the exercise of faith in God.
–
In good faith
,
with perfect sincerity.

Faith

,
int
erj.
By my faith; in truth; verily.

Webster 1828 Edition

Faith

FAITH

,
Noun.
[L. fides, fido, to trust; Gr. to persuade, to draw towards any thing, to conciliate; to believe, to obey. In the Greek Lexicon of Hederic it is said, the primitive signification of the verb is to bind and draw or lead, as signifies a rope or cable. But this remark is a little incorrect. The sense of the verb, from which that of rope and binding is derived, is to strain, to draw, and thus to bind or make fast. A rope or cable is that which makes fast. Heb.]
1.
Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting on his authority and veracity, without other evidence; the judgment that what another states or testifies is the truth. I have strong faith or no faith in the testimony of a witness, or in what a historian narrates.
2.
The assent of the mind to the truth of a proposition advanced by another; belief, or probable evidence of any kind.
3.
In theology, the assent of the mind or understanding to the truth of what God has revealed. Simple belief of the scriptures, of the being and perfections of God, and of the existence, character and doctrines of Christ, founded on the testimony of the sacred writers, is called historical or speculative faith; a faith little distinguished from the belief of the existence and achievements of Alexander or of Cesar.
4.
Evangelical, justifying, or saving faith, is the assent of the mind to the truth of divine revelation, on the authority of God's testimony, accompanied with a cordial assent of the will or approbation of the heart; an entire confidence or trust in God's character and declarations, and in the character and doctrines of Christ, with an unreserved surrender of the will to his guidance, and dependence on his merits for salvation. In other words, that firm belief of God's testimony, and of the truth of the gospel, which influences the will, and leads to an entire reliance on Christ for salvation.
Being justified by faith. Rom. 5.
Without faith it is impossible to please God. Heb. 11.
For we walk by faith, and not by sight. 2Cor. 5.
With the heart man believeth to righteousness. Rom. 10.
The faith of the gospel is that emotion of the mind, which is called trust or confidence, exercised towards the moral character of God, and particularly of the Savior.
Faith is an affectionate practical confidence in the testimony of God.
Faith is an affectionate practical confidence in the testimony of God.
Faith is a firm, cordial belief in the veracity of God, in all the declarations of his word; or a full and affectionate confidence in the certainty of those things which God has declared, and because he has declared them.
5.
The object of belief; a doctrine or system of doctrines believed; a system of revealed truths received by christians.
They heard only, that he who persecuted us in times past, now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. Gal. 1.
6.
The promises of God, or his truth and faithfulness.
shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? Rom. 3.
7.
An open profession of gospel truth.
Your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. Rom. 1.
8.
A persuasion or belief of the lawfulness of things indifferent.
Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Rom 14.
9.
Faithfulness; fidelity; a strict adherence to duty and fulfillment of promises.
Her failing, while her faith to me remains, I would conceal.
Children in whom is no faith. Deut. 32.
10.
Word or honor pledged; promise given; fidelity. He violated his plighted faith.
For you alone I broke my faith with injured Palamon.
11.
Sincerity; honesty; veracity; faithfulness. We ought in good faith, to fulfill all our engagements.
12.
Credibility or truth. Unusual.]
The faith of the foregoing narrative.

Definition 2024

Faith

Faith

See also: faith and fáith

English

Proper noun

Faith

  1. A female given name.
    • 1853 Elizabeth Gaskell, Ruth, Chapter XVII,
      "Now, I was called Faith after the cardinal virtue; and I like my name, though many people would think it too Puritan; that was according to our gentle mother's pious desire.
    • 1919 Lucy Maud Montgomery, Rainbow Valley, Echo Library 2006, ISBN 1406821764, page 90:
      "Faith."
      "No name that - no name that! I can't stomach such a name. Got any other?"
      "No, sir."
      "Don't like the name, don't like it. There's no sneddum to it. Besides, it makes me think of my Aunt Jinny. She called her three girls Faith, Hope and Charity. Faith didn't believe in anything - Hope was a born pessimist - and Charity was a miser. You ought to be called Red Rose - you look like one when you're mad.
    • 2006 Kate Atkinson, One Good Turn, Black Swan(2007), ISBN 9780552772440, page 81:
      There was something to be said for all those religiously influenced names – Patience, Grace, Chastity, Faith. Better to be named for a virtue than to be landed with a forgettable name like 'Martin'.
  2. A city in South Dakota.

See also

Anagrams

faith

faith

See also: Faith and fáith

English

Alternative forms

Noun

faith ‎(countable and uncountable, plural faiths)

  1. The reasoning of beliefs estimated true by the proof of things, such as philosophy, that are without the real empirical evidence of sight, sound, and touch.
    Have faith that the criminal justice system will avenge the murder.
    I have faith that my prayers will be answered.
    I have faith in the healing power of crystals.
  2. A religious belief system.
    The Christian faith.
  3. An obligation of loyalty or fidelity and the observance of such an obligation.
    He acted in good faith to restore broken diplomatic ties after defeating the incumbent.
  4. A trust or confidence in the intentions or abilities of a person, object, or ideal.
    I have faith in the goodness of my fellow man.
  5. (obsolete) Credibility or truth.
    • Mitford
      the faith of the foregoing narrative

Quotations

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:faith.

Synonyms

  • (knowing, without direct observation, based on indirect evidence and experience, that something is true, real, or will happen): belief, confidence, trust, conviction
  • (system of religious belief): religion

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

External links

  • faith in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • faith in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: church · paper · object · #606: faith · gentleman · persons · wrote

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English faith, fayth, feith, feyth (also fay, fey, fei ("faith"; > English fay ‎(“faith”)), from Old French fay, fey, fei, feit, feid ‎(“faith”), from Latin fidēs (faith, belief, trust; whence also English fidelity), from fīdō ‎(“trust, confide in”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰidʰ-, zero-grade of Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- ("to command, persuade, trust"; whence also English bide). The Middle English forms ending in -th possibly represent an alteration of the earliest French form feid under influence of other abstract nouns in -th (e.g. truth, ruth, health, etc.); or rather yet, may have been formed instead from the more usual Old French forms fay, fey, fei, etc. with the English suffix added (also due to assimilation to other nouns in -th), thus making the word equivalent to fay +‎ -th.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /feɪθ/
  • Rhymes: -eɪθ

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