Credence

Credence Credence Credence By Maeve Maddox I started wondering about the use of the word credence when I noticed the following headline on an entertainment news site: Al Pacino gives credence to James Gunns ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ The noun credence (KREE-dns] usually functions as a synonym for credibility or believability. For example, â€Å"The premise of the argument lacks credence.† As much as I enjoyed the Gunn film, I find nothing believable about a tree creature that wins everyone’s affection by saying the same three words again and again, or a genetically engineered raccoon with anger issues. I decided to find out if credence has another meaning that fits the context of that headline. Credence belongs to a family of English words that derive from the Latin verb credere, â€Å"to believe.† For example: credo: a religious belief, a guide to behavior. credible: believable. credential: official documentation indicating that a person may be trusted. credit: favorable reputation; trustworthiness in financial matters. creditable: that which does a person credit, praiseworthy. credulity: a readiness to believe. credulous: inclined to believe on the basis of little evidence. The noun credence occurs most often in the idiom â€Å"to lend (or give) credence to†: It really gives credence to the live singing in the movie to see them actually do it live onstage, Meron said. We  seem to live in a celebrity world. A world where being famous has more credence than being brilliant or a good person. During the McCarthy Era, suspicions were often given credence despite inconclusive or questionable evidence. The study lends credence to what scientists have long suspected: â€Å"If you want to recover birds, you need to recover the food that they’re eating.† Less used is the phrase â€Å"to pay credence to.† It occurs where the verb â€Å"to respect† would usually be clearer and more succinct: Alas, I am a liberal. I am honour-bound to pay credence to the rantings and ravings of other people and not simply discard them for being ridiculous. People dont  pay credence  to cultural health, Simmons said.   Originally, the idea was to  pay credence  to those in our lives who help us succeed. University administrators have become more mediators than foes, as they negotiate how to balance the principles of free speech, to which they pay credence, with students safety and well-being.   I continue to puzzle over the headline. Here are some adjectives that can serve to convey one’s feeling that a thing is believable: creditable probable possible feasible reasonable rational sound admirable Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Mostly Small But Expressive InterjectionsWhenever vs. When EverList of Prefixes and Suffixes and their Meanings