trust

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the trait of believing in the honesty and reliability of others

   The experience destroyed their trust.

2. 2
   noun

   a consortium of independent organizations formed to limit competition by controlling the production and distribution of a product or service

   they set up the trust in the hope of gaining a monopoly

3. 3
   noun

   something such as property held by one party, the trustee, for the benefit of another, the beneficiary

   I wish I was the beneficiary of a generous trust set up by my parents.

4. 4
   verb

   have confidence or faith in

   We can trust in God

5. 5
   verb

   expect and wish

   I trust you will behave better from now on

6. 6
   verb

   extend credit to

   don't trust my ex-wife

7. 7
   verb

   confer a trust upon

   The messenger was entrusted with the general's secret

8. 8
   noun

   Confidence in or reliance on some person or quality.

   He needs to regain her trust if he is ever going to win her back.

Etymology

From Middle English trust, trost (“trust, protection”). Long considered a borrowing from Old Norse traust (“confidence, help, protection”), from Proto-Germanic *traustą, but the root vocalism is incompatible, so trust has come to be considered a reflex of an unattested Old English *trust, from a rare zero-grade Proto-Germanic variant of the same root also attested in Middle High German getrüste (“host”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deru- (“be firm, hard, solid”). Akin to Danish trøst (“comfort, solace”), Saterland Frisian Traast (“comfort, solace”), West Frisian treast (“comfort, sola…