Etymological root

credere

Latin

to believe; to trust; to lend

Forms to recognize: crēdō, crēdere, crēditum

This Latin verb connects belief with trust and lending. Credible describes something believable; credit and creditor also preserve the family connection. Use the shared spelling as a memory cue, then learn each word's modern sense: incredible often expresses admiration, and credit can mean recognition for work.

Learn this word family

credible
Able to be believed; convincing and plausible.

The matching receipts made her explanation credible to the investigators.
incredible
Amazing, wonderful, or extremely good.

The orchestra gave an incredible performance that brought the crowd to its feet.
credit
Praise or recognition for something you have done.

The designer gave her whole team credit for the successful exhibition.
creditor
a person, company, or institution to whom money is owed

The bank remained the company's largest creditor after the loan was restructured.
discredit
To damage the good reputation of someone or something.

The forged photograph was an attempt to discredit the researcher.

# credere

**Type:** Etymological root
**Language:** Latin
**Slug:** credere

## Meanings
1. to believe
2. to trust
3. to lend

## Variants
- crēdō
- crēdere
- crēditum

## Notes
This Latin verb connects belief with trust and lending. Credible describes something believable; credit and creditor also preserve the family connection. Use the shared spelling as a memory cue, then learn each word's modern sense: incredible often expresses admiration, and credit can mean recognition for work.

## Learn This Word Family
- credible: The matching receipts made her explanation credible to the investigators.
- incredible: The orchestra gave an incredible performance that brought the crowd to its feet.
- credit: The designer gave her whole team credit for the successful exhibition.
- creditor: The bank remained the company's largest creditor after the loan was restructured.
- discredit: The forged photograph was an attempt to discredit the researcher.

## Words From This Root
- incredible - Amazing, wonderful, or extremely good.
- credit - Praise or recognition for something you have done.
- grant - To officially give or allow something, such as permission or a request.
- credible - Able to be believed; convincing and plausible.
- discredit - To damage the good reputation of someone or something.
- creditor - a person, company, or institution to whom money is owed
- noncredible - not believable or convincing
- incredibility - the quality of being too implausible to be believed
- recreant - cowardly or unfaithful; a coward or traitor

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