confidere

Confidere is a Latin verb meaning to trust, have confidence in, or entrust something to someone. The core sense is to place reliance on a person, an idea, or a situation. It is commonly used with the dative of the person or thing trusted or with the preposition in followed by the ablative, as in confīdō tibi or confīdō in virtūte.

Etymology and related forms: confidere is formed from the prefix con- plus the root fid-, which signifies faith or trust. It is the source of the English confide, confident, and confidence, via Old French confider and other medieval intermediaries. The abstract noun fiducia (trust, reliance) and the related Latin adjective confidentī̄a also derive from the same root.

Grammar and usage: In classical Latin, confidere is treated as a deponent verb, using passive morphology to express active meaning. The principal parts are traditionally given as confīdō, confidere, confīsus sum. The verb can denote reliable trust in a person (confīdō amīcō) or in a circumstance or power (confīdō diābus, confīdō in fortūna). It often connotes a durable or principled degree of trust rather than a fleeting awareness.

English legacy: Through Old French and early English, confidere yielded confide, confidence, and confident. These English cognates carry a broad sense of trust or reliance, often with a positive or assertive nuance.

See also: fiducia, confīdēns, fidēre.