confidence
/ˈkɑːnfɪdəns/noun
Firm belief in oneself, another, or a proposition
From Latin con- (with) + Latin fīdō (to trust or believe).
Lineage
con-
fīdō
-entia
The story
Picture a medieval speaker saying that someone was worthy of trust: confidence began as an assurance placed in another person, not merely a feeling in your own chest. Its Latin ancestor cōnfīdentia grew from con- and fīdō, so the original image was almost “trust made especially firm.” The same trust-root, traced by etymological sources to PIE *bheidh-, appears in faith and fidelity—and even in fiancé, historically someone to whom one has pledged faith. Around 1400, English inherited confidence through Middle English, probably by way of Old French, although a direct Latin route is also possible. By the 1590s it could mean a secret, because telling someone confidential information was itself an act of trust; confidence is therefore both the feeling that opens your mouth and the secret that comes out of it.
Modern usage
Fearless self-assurance, especially in moving through social situations without worrying about others’ opinions
- Heard in
- social media · dating · youth slang
- See
- Urban Dictionary entry describing confidence as walking through a crowded hallway without caring what people think
Words from the same roots
-entia · Latin, ‘state or quality; abstract-noun suffix’
Derivedpatience, prudence, experience, dependence
Sources
- Etymonlineconfidence, con-, confide, hope, diffidence
- Urban Dictionaryconfidence
- Wikipediaconfidence
- Wiktionaryconfidence, con-, confide