Latin
Etymology 1
From
fīdō (“I trust”) <
Proto-Indo-European *bhidh-,
*bhoidh- (“to command, to persuade, to trust”).
[edit] Noun
fidēs (
genitive fideī);
f,
fifth declension
- faith, belief
- reliance
- confidence, trust
Related terms
Etymology 2
From
Ancient Greek σφίδη (sphidē).
[edit] Noun
fidēs (
genitive fidis);
f,
third declension
- chord
- the gut-string of a musical instrument
- (plural) lyre, lute, harp (by extension)
What I find interesting about this word and its origins are the related meaning of Chord: one of which is "A straight line between two points" Which can describe certain types of faith, especially the "I have faith in God" type. It is a straight line between those two points (I and God) with no stops along the way to explain or justify one's faith.
What is really most fascinating about all these words are the subtle shades of meaning that each word offers, how a word is commonly used, or popularly used often has more to do with memes than with a sudden pan-cultural need to express a concept like Zeitgeist (mid to late 80's) or Bespoke (lately) The same goes for faith, I'm sure.