| 释义 |
faith
I. \ˈfāth\ noun
(plural faiths \-āths also -āthz\)
Etymology: Middle English feith, fey, from Old French feid (d probably pronounced \th\), fei, foi, from Latin fides; akin to Latin fidere to trust — more at bide
1.
a. : the act or state of wholeheartedly and steadfastly believing in the existence, power, and benevolence of a supreme being, of having confidence in his providential care, and of being loyal to his will as revealed or believed in : belief and trust in and loyalty to God
< people earnestly prayed in the ages of faith … to be delivered from sudden death — J.A.Pike >
< lost his faith at an early age >
b.
(1) : an act or attitude of intellectual assent to the traditional doctrines of one's religion : orthodox religious belief
(2) : a decision of an individual entrusting his life to God's transforming care in response to an experience of God's mercy
c. among Roman Catholic theologians : a supernatural virtue by which one believes on the authority of God himself all that God has revealed or proposes through the Church for belief
2.
a.
(1) : firm or unquestioning belief in something for which there is no proof
< for the scientist faith can be no virtue, because it is inconsistent with the resolution to accept the fact as supreme — P.W.Bridgman >
< clinging to the faith that her missing son would one day return >
(2) : uncritical grounds for belief — used chiefly in the phrase on faith
< you will have to accept my statements on faith >
b. : confidence; especially : firm or unquestioning trust or confidence in the value, power, or efficacy of something
< have faith in prayer >
< faith in his medical skill >
< the faith on which science rests, the faith in the value of truth seeking — H.T.Muller >
3.
a. : an assurance, promise, or pledge of fidelity, loyalty, or performance
< gave his faith that he would come on the appointed day >
— often used in the phrases to keep faith or to break faith
< to have hitchhiked would have been breaking faith, for all who use the country's youth hostels are honor bound to reach them under their own power — H.V.Morton >
b. : fidelity to one's promises : allegiance to a duty or a person : sincerity or honesty of intentions : loyalty — often used with the qualifiers good or bad to specify a state of mind of one trying to be honest and faithful
< observed perfect good faith and strictly fulfilled their engagements — Marjory S. Douglas >
or of one trying to deceive, mislead, or defraud
< accused him of bad faith >
4. obsolete : authority, credit, credibility
5. : something that is believed or adhered to especially with strong conviction: as
a.
(1) : a system of religious beliefs : religion
< an individual of the Jewish faith >
(2) : the body of believers : an organized church or denomination
< a movement supported by all the great faiths >
b. : the cherished values, ideals, or beliefs of an individual or people : weltanschauung, creed, credo
< a free world which is strong in its faith and in its material progress — Dean Acheson >
c. : the fundamental tenets, views, or beliefs of an individual or group on a particular subject or in a particular field
< a profession of literary faith >
< I state my own faith at once … organic union under the Crown is vital — R.G.Menzies >
< she visits the prisoners of her own political faith — Katharine A. Porter >
6. often capitalized : the true religion from the point of view of the speaker — usually used with the
< the king, temporal head of the faith >
Synonyms: see belief, religion, trust
•
- in faith
II. transitive verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: Middle English feithen, from feith, n.
archaic : believe, trust |