Webster's English Dictionary

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belief

Cross references:
  1. opinion               
 
be.lief \b*-'le-f\ n [ME beleave, prob. alter. of OE gele-afa, fr. ge-, 
   associa]tive prefix + le-afa; akin to OE ly-fan 1: a state or habit of mind 
   in which trust or confidence is placed in some  person or thing 2: 
   something believed; specif : a tenet or body of tenets held by a  group 3: 
   conviction of the truth of some statement or reality of a fact esp. when  
   well groundedent to the truth of something offered for acceptance. BELIEF 
   and FAITH are often used interchangeably but BELIEF may or may not imply 
   certitude in the believer whereas FAITH always does even where there is no 
   evidence of proof; FAITH may also suggest credulity; CREDENCE suggests the 
   fact of intellectual assent without implying anything about grounds for 
   assent; CREDIT implies assent on grounds other than direct proof, usu. the 
   known trustworthiness of the source of what is proposed for acceptance SYN 
   syn BELIEF, FAITH, CREDENCE, CREDIT mean the ass