credo

See also: crédo and čredo

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱerd-

Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗr

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *-ti

Proto-Indo-European *ḱérddʰeh₁ti

Proto-Indo-European *ḱréddʰeh₁ti

Proto-Italic *kresdō

Latin crēdōbor.

Old French credobor.

Middle English credo

English credo

Inherited from Middle English credo, from Old French credo, from Latin crēdō (“to believe”); doublet of creed.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɹidəʊ/, /ˈkɹeɪdəʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkɹidoʊ/, /ˈkɹeɪdoʊ/
• Hyphenation: cre‧do
• Rhymes: -iːdəʊ

Noun

credo (plural credos or credoes)

1. A statement of a belief or a summary statement of a whole belief system; also (metonymically) the belief or belief system itself.
   • 2019 May 19, Alex McLevy, “The final Game Of Thrones brings a pensive but simple meditation about stories (newbies)”, in The A.V. Club‎^[1], archived from the original on 22 May 2019:

     “You’re either with me or you’re against me” became Dany’s credo, and those against her were an ever-changing multitude to be determined solely by her whims.

2. (Christianity) The liturgical creed (usually the Nicene Creed), or a musical arrangement of it for use in church services.

   Credo III is so beautiful!

   • 1996, Pastoral Music, volume 21, page 12:

     Until the mid-1970s, however, most Catholic hymnals contained at least one musical setting of the creed […] By the 1980s hymnals having sung credos were mainly those devoted to "traditional" styles of church music […]

Derived terms

• credobaptist

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱerd- (0 c, 135 e)

Translations

belief system

• Bulgarian: верую (bg) (veruju), кредо (kredo)
• Faroese: trúarjáttan f, kredda f
• French: crédo (fr) m
• German: Credo (de) n, Kredo (de) n
• Hungarian: krédó (hu)
• Macedonian: верују n (veruju)
• Persian: باور (fa) (bâvar), مرام (fa) (marâm)
• Polish: credo (pl) n, kredo (pl) n
• Portuguese: credo (pt) m
• Russian: кре́до (ru) n (krédo)
• Yiddish: אַני־מאמין m (ani-maymen)

Further reading

• “credo”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “credo”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Anagrams

• OCRed, Coder, cored, coder, Dorce, decor, décor

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch crede, credo, borrowed from Latin crēdō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkreː.doː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: cre‧do
• Rhymes: -eːdoː

Noun

credo n (plural credo's, diminutive credootje n)

1. (religion, chiefly Christianity) confession of faith, creed

   Synonyms: belijdenis, geloofsbelijdenis

2. (by extension) (strong) conviction

   Synonym: overtuiging

Derived terms

• credobord
• credo-tekst

Descendants

• → Indonesian: kredo

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkre.do/
• Rhymes: -edo
• Hyphenation: cré‧do

Etymology 1

From Latin credō.

Noun

credo m (plural credi)

1. creed

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

credo

1. first-person singular present indicative of credere

   Credo. ― I believe.

Anagrams

• cedro, cedrò, corde, crode

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *kresdō, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱred-dʰeh₁-ti (“to place one's heart, i.e. to trust, believe”), compound phrase of oblique case form of *ḱḗr (“heart”) (whence also Latin cor) and *dʰeh₁- (“to put, place, set”) (whence -dō (“put”)).

Cognates include Sanskrit श्रद्दधाति (śraddadhāti, “to trust, believe”) and Old Irish creitid (“believes”, verb).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈkreː.doː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈkrɛː.do]

Verb

crēdō (present infinitive crēdere, perfect active crēdidī, supine crēditum); third conjugation

1. (with accusative or dative) to believe, to trust in, to give credence to
   • c. 200 BCE – 190 BCE, Plautus, Captivi 3.4.39:

     Tūne huic crēdis?

     Do you believe him?

   • c. 200 BCE – 190 BCE, Plautus, Captivi 3.4.24:

     aristophontes: Quid tū autem? Etiam huic crēdis? hegio: Quid ego crēdam huic? aristophontes: Īnsānum esse mē?

     aristophontes: How’s this? You, too? Do you actually believe him? hegio: Believe him in what? aristophontes: That I’m insane?

2. to confide in, have confidence in

   Synonyms: cōnfīdō, fīdō

   Antonyms: suspicor, diffīdō, suspiciō

3. to think, imagine, suppose, assume

   Synonyms: cēnseō, iūdicō, putō, cōgitō, sentiō, exīstimō, arbitror, opīnor, reor

   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.500–502:

     Nōn tamen Anna novīs praetexere fūnera sacrīs / germānam crēdit, nec tantōs mente furōrēs / concipit [...].

     Yet Anna cannot imagine [that] her sister [Dido], by [these] unusual rituals, conceals her [own] funeral preparations, nor does such insanity come to mind [...].

   • 8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 1.518:

     quis tantum fātī crēdat habēre locum?

     Who could imagine the place to have so great a destiny?

4. to commit or consign something to one for preservation, protection, etc., to entrust to one
5. to lend, to loan

Usage notes

• Crēdō often governs the dative with persons believed in, but the accusative with things or concepts believed in. The accusative may be accompanied by a preposition: Crēdō in ūnum Deum = "I believe in one God".

Conjugation

   Conjugation of crēdō (third conjugation)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	crēdō		crēdis		crēdit		crēdimus		crēditis		crēdunt
	imperfect	crēdēbam		crēdēbās		crēdēbat		crēdēbāmus		crēdēbātis		crēdēbant
	future	crēdam		crēdēs		crēdet		crēdēmus		crēdētis		crēdent
	perfect	crēdidī		crēdidistī		crēdidit		crēdidimus		crēdidistis		crēdidērunt, crēdidēre
	pluperfect	crēdideram		crēdiderās		crēdiderat		crēdiderāmus		crēdiderātis		crēdiderant
	future perfect	crēdiderō		crēdideris		crēdiderit		crēdiderimus		crēdideritis		crēdiderint
passive	present	crēdor		crēderis, crēdere		crēditur		crēdimur		crēdiminī		crēduntur
	imperfect	crēdēbar		crēdēbāris, crēdēbāre		crēdēbātur		crēdēbāmur		crēdēbāminī		crēdēbantur
	future	crēdar		crēdēris, crēdēre		crēdētur		crēdēmur		crēdēminī		crēdentur
	perfect	crēditus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	crēditus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	crēditus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	crēdam		crēdās		crēdat		crēdāmus		crēdātis		crēdant
	imperfect	crēderem		crēderēs		crēderet		crēderēmus		crēderētis		crēderent
	perfect	crēdiderim		crēdiderīs		crēdiderit		crēdiderīmus		crēdiderītis		crēdiderint
	pluperfect	crēdidissem		crēdidissēs		crēdidisset		crēdidissēmus		crēdidissētis		crēdidissent
passive	present	crēdar		crēdāris, crēdāre		crēdātur		crēdāmur		crēdāminī		crēdantur
	imperfect	crēderer		crēderēris, crēderēre		crēderētur		crēderēmur		crēderēminī		crēderentur
	perfect	crēditus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	crēditus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		crēde		—		—		crēdite		—
	future	—		crēditō		crēditō		—		crēditōte		crēduntō
passive	present	—		crēdere		—		—		crēdiminī		—
	future	—		crēditor		crēditor		—		—		crēduntor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		crēdere			crēdī			crēdēns			—
future		crēditūrum esse			crēditum īrī			crēditūrus			crēdendus, crēdundus
perfect		crēdidisse			crēditum esse			—			crēditus
future perfect		—			crēditum fore			—			—
perfect potential		crēditūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		crēdendī		crēdendō		crēdendum		crēdendō		crēditum		crēditū

Derived terms

• accrēdō
• concrēdō
• crēdibilis
• crēdibiliter
• crēditor
• crēditrīx
• crēditum
• crēdulitās
• crēdulus
• incrēdibilis
• incrēdibilitās
• incrēdibiliter
• incrēditus
• incrēdulitās
• incrēdulus
• recrēdō

Descendants

• Balkan Romance:
  • Aromanian: cred
  • Romanian: crede
• Dalmatian:
  • credro
• Italo-Romance:
  • Corsican: crede, creda

    Gallurese: cridé

    Sassarese: cridì

  • Italian: credere
  • Neapolitan: credere
  • Sicilian: crìdiri
• Western Romance of N. Italy:
  • Gallo-Italic:
    • Emilian: cràdder
    • Ligurian: crédde
    • Lombard: cred, credir, creiar, creir
    • Piedmontese: chërde, crèje, creire, crése, cherzì
  • Friulian: crodi
  • Istriot: crido
  • Romansh: crair, crer, creir, crajer
  • Venetan: crédar, créder
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: creure
  • Franco-Provençal: crêre
  • Old French: croire (see there for further descendants)
  • Gascon: créder, créger, crer
  • Old Occitan: creire, creser, crey, creyer, crer
    • Languedocien: creire, créser
    • Limousin: creure
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Old Navarro-Aragonese: creder, creer, creyer
    • Aragonese: creyer, crier, creder; creure (Ribagorçan)
  • Old Leonese:
    • Asturian: creyer
    • Extremaduran: creel
    • Leonese: creyere
    • Mirandese: crer
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: creer
    • Galician: crer
    • Portuguese: crer
  • Old Spanish: creyer, creer
    • Spanish: creer, creyer
• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: crèdere, crèere, crei, crèiri, crere

Borrowings based on the phrase crēdō in Deum (“I believe in God”) in the Nicene Creed:

• → Catalan: credo
• → Czech: krédo
• → Middle Dutch: crēdō, crēde
  • Dutch: credo
    • → Indonesian: kredo
• → Old English: crēda, crēdo
  • Middle English: crede
    • English: creed
    • Scots: creed
• → Franco-Provençal: crédô
• → Old French: credo
  • Middle French: credo
    • French: credo
  • → Middle English: credo
    • English: credo
• → Middle High German: crēdō
  • German: Credo
• → Hungarian: krédó
• → Italian: credo
• → Old Norse: credo
  • Icelandic: credo
  • Old Swedish: credo
    • Swedish: credo
  • Old Danish: credo
    • Danish: credo
• → Old Occitan: credo
  • Occitan: credo
• → Polish: credo
• → Portuguese: credo
• → Spanish: credo

Further reading

• “credo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “credo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• credo in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2026), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication
• “credo”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[2], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • I am gradually convinced that..: addūcor, ut credam
    
  • I cannot make myself believe that..: non possum adduci, ut (credam)
    
  • we believe in the existence of a God: deum esse credimus
    
  • to lend some one money (without interest): pecuniam alicui credere (sine fenore, usuris)
    
  • believe me: mihi crede (not crede mihi)
    
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN

Middle English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French credo, from Latin crēdō (“to believe”) in the Nicene Creed or Apostle's Creed. Doublet of crede.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkrɛːdoː/

Noun

credo (uncountable)

1. The Nicene Creed or Apostle's Creed.

Descendants

• English: credo

References

• “crēdō, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Old English

Noun

crēdo m

1. alternative form of crēda

Old French

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱerd-

Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗr

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *-ti

Proto-Indo-European *ḱérddʰeh₁ti

Proto-Indo-European *ḱréddʰeh₁ti

Proto-Italic *kresdō

Latin crēdōbor.

Old French credo

Borrowed from Latin crēdō (“to believe”) in the Nicene Creed or Apostle's Creed.

Noun

credo oblique singular, m (no plural, nominative singular credo)

1. The Nicene Creed or Apostle's Creed.

Descendants

• Middle French: credo
  • French: credo
• → Middle English: credo
  • English: credo

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “crēdĕre”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 2: C Q K, page 1306

Polish

Alternative forms

• kredo

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱerd-

Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗr

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *-ti

Proto-Indo-European *ḱérddʰeh₁ti

Proto-Indo-European *ḱréddʰeh₁ti

Proto-Italic *kresdō

Latin crēdōubor.

Polish credo

Unadapted borrowing from Latin crēdō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkrɛ.dɔ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛdɔ
• Syllabification: cre‧do
• Homophone: kredo

Noun

credo n (indeclinable)

1. (Christianity) credo (liturgical creed (usually the Nicene Creed), or a musical arrangement of it for use in church services)
2. credo (belief system)

Further reading

• “credo”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[3] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “credo”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[4] (in Polish)

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin credō (“to believe”). Doublet of creio.

For the usage as an interjection, compare the synonymous creio em Deus Pai!.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈkɾɛ.du/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈkɾɛ.du/ [ˈkɾɛ.ðu]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈkɾɛ.du/ [ˈkɾɛ.ðu]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈkɾɛ.du/

• Hyphenation: cre‧do

Noun

credo m (plural credos)

1. (religion) creed; credo (a religious belief system)

   Synonyms: crença, religião

   Antonym: descrença

   O credo cristão.

   The Christian creed.

Related terms

• acreditar
• credência
• creditado
• crédito
• crédulo
• crer

Interjection

credo!

1. ew! (expression of disgust or nausea)

   Synonym: (Brazil) eca

2. Jesus! (expression of unpleasant surprise)

   Synonyms: Jesus, (Brazil) nossa, (Brazil, regional) creio em Deus Pai

Further reading

• “credo”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “credo”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin credo.

Noun

credo n (uncountable)

1. credo (belief system)

Declension

singular only	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	credo	credoul
genitive-dative	credo	credoului
vocative	credoule

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱerd-

Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗr

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *-ti

Proto-Indo-European *ḱérddʰeh₁ti

Proto-Indo-European *ḱréddʰeh₁ti

Proto-Italic *kresdō

Latin credōbor.

Spanish credo

Borrowed from Latin credō (“to believe”). Doublet of creo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɾedo/ [ˈkɾe.ð̞o]
• Rhymes: -edo
• Syllabification: cre‧do

Noun

credo m (plural credos)

1. (religion) creed

Related terms

• creer

Further reading

• “credo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Anagrams

• cedro, cerdo

Welsh

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈkrɛdɔ/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈkreːdɔ/, /ˈkrɛdɔ/

Verb

credo

1. (literary) third-person singular present subjunctive of credu

Mutation

Mutated forms of credo

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
credo	gredo	nghredo	chredo

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.