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