fidere

Fidere is a Latin verb meaning to trust, rely on, or have faith in someone or something. It belongs to a family of words connected with trust and reliability. The related noun fides means trust or faith, and it is the source of many English terms through Latin and Romance languages.

In classical Latin, fidere typically governs a dative object: for example, fidere tibi means to trust you. The verb also appears in compound forms such as confidere (to place confidence in), which share the broader sense of trust and reliance. The opposite of fidere is expressed by distinct terms that convey doubt or treachery.

Derivatives and cognates include fidelis (faithful, reliable), fiducia (trust, confidence), and fides (faith). In English, the same root yields fidelity, fiduciary, confide, confident, and confidence. Fidelity is used for faithfulness or accuracy, as in high-fidelity audio.

In modern usage, fidere and its descendants appear in discussions of ethics, law, and philosophy, where trust and reliability are central. The Latin roots also persist in religious and scholarly contexts, where fides or fideism refers to trust in religious doctrine, and fides appears in various liturgical and academic phrases.