# belief

Pronunciation: say "bi-LEEF" /bɪˈliːf/

## Noun

1. Mental acceptance that a claim or statement is true.
   - Simple: The feeling that something is true or real.
   - _His belief that the earth was flat persisted despite the evidence._
   - _Scientific belief should rest on repeatable observation._
2. An idea or opinion accepted as true by a person or group.
   - Simple: An idea or opinion that a person holds to be true.
   - _Many of their beliefs were passed down through generations._
   - _She defended each belief with careful argument._
3. The religious or moral convictions a person holds.
   - Simple: The set of religious or moral ideas that guide how someone lives.
   - _Working on Sundays goes against his religious beliefs._
   - _Freedom of belief is protected under the constitution._
4. Faith in the teachings or truths of a religion.
   - Simple: Trust in a god or in the teachings of a religion.
   - _Belief carried the pilgrims across thousands of miles._
   - _For many people, belief offers meaning beyond daily life._
5. Faith or trust in the reality of something, often grounded in one's own reasoning, trust, hope, or the evidence considered.
   - Simple: Trust that something is real or will happen.
   - _Their belief in the project's success drove every decision._
   - _Belief in ghosts varies widely between cultures._
6. The quality or state of believing something.
   - Simple: The state of accepting something as true.
   - _The capacity for belief seems to be part of human nature._
   - _Belief and doubt often exist side by side in the same mind._

## Origin

From Middle English bileve, from Old English lēafa, going back to Proto-West Germanic *laubu and Proto-Germanic *laubō, and related to German Glaube ("faith, belief"). The final /v/ became /f/ by analogy with noun-verb pairs like grief : grieve and proof : prove, giving belief : believe.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/belief (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).