crēdo — Lewis & Short
crēdo, dĭdi, dĭtum, 3 (
I pres. subj. creduam, Plaut. Poen. 3, 5, 2:
creduas,id. Bacch. 3, 3, 72; id. Trin. 3, 1, 5:
creduat,id. Bacch. 3, 4, 5; 4, 7, 6:
creduis,id. Am. 2, 2, 49; id. Capt. 3, 4, 73:
creduit,id. Truc. 2, 2, 52; inf. credier, id. Poen. 2, 43;
crevi for credidi,id. Cist. 1, 1, 1), v. a. Sanscr. crat, crad, trust, and dha-; v. 2. do.
I Orig. belonging to the lang. of business, to give as a loan, to loan, lend, make or loan to any one: (vilicus) injussu domini credat nemini;
quod dominus crediderit, exigat,Cato, R. R. 5, 4:
quibus credas male,Plaut. Curc. 4, 1, 20; cf.
populis,Cic. Rab. Post. 2, 4:
alicui grandem pecuniam,id. ib. 2, 4; so,
pecunias ei,id. Fam. 1, 7, 6; and:
pecuniae creditae,id. Prov. Cons. 4, 7:
centum talenta,Quint. 5, 10, 111:
solutio rerum creditarum,Cic. Off. 2, 24, 84 et saep.—Hence,
B crēdĭtum, i, n., a loan, Sall. C. 25, 4; Liv. 6, 15, 5; 6, 27, 3; 8, 28, 3; Sen. Ben. 2, 34, 1; Quint. 5, 10, 105; 5, 10, 117; Dig. 12, 1, 19 sq. et saep.—
II Transf. beyond the circle of business (very freq. in every period and species of composition).
A With the prevailing idea of intended protection, to commit or consign something to one for preservation, protection, etc., to intrust to one, = committo, commendo (cf. concredo):
ubi is obiit mortem, qui mihi id aurum credidit,Plaut. Aul. prol. 15 (credere est servandum commendare, Non. p. 275, 9); so,
nummum,Plaut. Trin. 4, 2, 112 (for which id. ib. 4, 2, 115, concredere):
alicujus fidei potestatique (with committere),Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 9, § 27; cf. id. ib. 1, 1, 4, § 14: vitam ac fortunas meas, Lucil. ap. Non. p. 275, 8; cf. Ter. And. 1, 5, 37:
militi arma,Liv. 2, 45, 10:
se suaque omnia alienissimis,Caes. B. G. 6, 31:
se ponto,Ov. M. 14, 222:
se perfidis hostibus,Hor. C. 3, 5, 33:
se ventis,Quint. 12, prooem. § 2:
pennis se caelo,Verg. A. 6, 15; cf. Ov. M. 2, 378:
se pugnae,Verg. A. 5, 383 et saep.:
crede audacter quid lubet,Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 118:
facinus magnum timido pectori,id. Ps. 2, 1, 3:
illi consilia omnia,Ter. Ad. 5, 4, 18:
arcanos sensus tibi,Verg. A. 4, 422; cf.:
arcana libris,Hor. S. 2, 1, 31:
aliquid cerae,Plaut. Pers. 4, 3, 67.—Poet., with in and acc.:
inque novos soles audent se germina tuto Credere,Verg. G. 2, 333.—
B With the prevailing idea of bestowing confidence, to trust to or confide in a person or thing, to have confidence in, to trust.
1 With dat.:
virtuti suorum satis credere,Sall. J. 106, 3; cf. id. ib. 72, 2:
praesenti fortunae,Liv. 45, 8, 6:
consules magis non confidere quam non credere suis militibus,rather mistrusted their intentions than their valor, id. 2, 45, 4:
nec jam amplius hastae,Verg. A. 11, 808:
ne nimium colori,id. E. 2, 17:
bibulis talaribus,Ov. M. 4, 731.—Freq. in eccl. Lat.:
Moysi et mihi,Vulg. Johan. 5, 46:
verbis meis,id. Luc. 1, 20.—
2 Esp., with in and acc. of pers., to believe in, trust in (eccl. Lat.):
hoc est ergo credere in Deum, credendo adhaerere ad bene coöperandum bona operanti Deo,Aug. Enarr. in Psa. 77, 8:
qui fidem habet sine spe ac dilectione, Christum esse credit, non in Christum credit,id. Serm. 144, 2:
qui credit in Filium habet vitam aeternam,Vulg. Johan. 3, 36 et saep.—
C To trust one in his declarations, assertions, etc., i. e. to give him credence, to believe:
injurato, scio, plus credet mihi, quam jurato tibi,Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 284 sq.:
vin' me istuc tibi, etsi incredibile'st, credere?Ter. Heaut. 4, 1, 11:
credit jam tibi de isto,Plaut. Men. 4, 2, 53:
cui omnium rerum ipsus semper credit,in every thing, id. As. 2, 4, 59; cf. id. Truc. 2, 2, 52:
diu deliberandum et concoquendum est, utrum potius Chaereae injurato in suā lite, an Manilio et Luscio juratis in alieno judicio credatis,Cic. Rosc. Com. 15, 45.—
b Mihi crede, believe me, confide in my words, upon my word, e)moi\ piqou=, an expression of confirmation, Plaut. Ep. 3, 2, 4; Cic. Cat. 1, 3, 6; id. Mur. 19, 40; 38, 82; id. de Or. 2, 17, 72; id. Off. 3, 19, 75; id. Tusc. 1, 31, 75; 1, 43, 103; id. Fin. 2, 21, 68 et saep.; Hor. S. 1, 7, 35; 2, 6, 93 al.; cf.: mihi credite, Cic. Cat. 2, 7, 15; id. Agr. 3, 4, 16; Liv. 24, 22, 17; Ov. M. 15, 254 al.—In the same sense (but more rare in Cic.):
crede mihi,Cic. Att. 6, 6, 1; 14, 15, 2; 11, 6, 1; Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 59, § 133; Sulp. ap. Cic. Fam. 4, 5, 4; Ov. A. A. 1, 66; id. M. 1, 361; id. Tr. 3, 4, 25:
crede igitur mihi,Cic. Fam. 10, 6, 2:
credite mihi,Curt. 6, 11, 25.—
c Credor in poets several times equivalent to creditur mihi:
certe credemur, ait, si verba sequatur Exitus,Ov. F. 3, 351; so id. Tr. 3, 10, 35:
creditus accepit cantatas protinus herbas, etc.,id. M. 7, 98; so in part., id. H. 17, 129; cf.:
(Cassandra) non umquam credita Teucris,Verg. A. 2, 247.—
d Sibi, to believe one's self, trust one's own convictions, be fully convinced:
cum multa dicta sunt sapienter et graviter, tum vel in primis, crede nobis, crede tibi,Plin. Pan. 74:
fieri malunt alieni erroris accessio, quam sibi credere,Min. Fel. 24, 2: non satis sibi ipsi credebant, Auct. B. Alex. 6:—
2 With simple reference to the object mentioned or asserted, to believe a thing, hold or admit as true: velim te id quod verum est credere, Lucil. ap. Non. p. 275, 6; cf.: credo et verum est, Afer ap. Quint. 6, 3, 94:
me miseram! quid jam credas? aut cur credas?Ter. Ad. 3, 2, 32:
quod fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt,Caes. B. G. 3, 18; cf. Quint. 6, 2, 5:
audivi ista ... sed numquam sum addictus ut crederem,Cic. Brut. 26, 100:
ne quid de se temere crederent,Sall. C. 31, 7:
res Difficilis ad credundum,Lucr. 2, 1027; cf. Caes. B. G. 5, 28 et saep.—Pass.:
res tam scelesta ... credi non potest,Cic. Rosc. Am. 22, 62.—Pass. impers.:
in quo scelere, etiam cum multae causae convenisse unum in locum atque inter se congruere videntur, tamen non temere creditur,Cic. Rosc. Am. 22, 62.—
b In gen. = opinor, arbitror, to be of opinion, to think, believe, suppose.
(a) With acc.:
timeo ne aliud credam atque aliud nunties,Ter. Hec. 5, 4, 4:
quae deserta et inhospita tesqua credis,Hor. Ep. 1, 14, 20:
fortem crede bonumque,id. ib. 1, 9, 13:
quos gravissimos sapientiae magistros aetas vetus credidit,Quint. 12, 1, 36.—Pass.:
potest ... falsum aliquid pro vero credi,Sall. C. 51, 36:
origo animi caelestis creditur,Quint. 1, 1, 1; 8, prooem. § 24:
Evander venerabilior divinitate creditā Carmentae matris,Liv. 1, 7, 8.—
(b) With acc. and inf. (so most freq.):
jam ego vos novisse credo, ut sit pater meus,Plaut. Am. prol. 104:
cum reliquum exercitum subsequi crederet,Caes. B. G. 6, 31: caelo tonantem credidimus Jovem Regnare. Hor. C. 3, 5, 1 et saep.:
victos crederes,one would have thought, one might have imagined, Liv. 2, 43, 9; so Curt. 4, 10, 23; cf. Zumpt, Lat. Gr. § 528.—Pass.:
navis praeter creditur ire,Lucr. 4, 389:
quem (Athin) peperisse Limnate creditur,Ov. M. 5, 49:
creditus est optime dixisse,Quint. 3, 1, 11; cf. id. 10, 2, 125 al.—Impers.:
credetur abesse ab eo culpam,Quint. 11, 1, 64:
neque sine causā creditum est, stilum non minus agere cum delet,id. 10, 4, 1 al.— So in the abl. part. pass. credito, with acc. and inf., Tac. A. 3, 14; 6, 34.—
(g) Absol.: credo inserted, like opinor, puto, etc., and the Gr. oi)=mai, as a considerate, polite, or ironical expression of one's opinion, I believe, as I think, I suppose, I dare say, etc.:
credo, misericors est,Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 144;
so placed first,id. Cas. 2, 6, 3; Ter. And. 2, 1, 13; Cic. Cat. 1, 2, 5; id. Sull. 4, 11; Caes. B. C. 3, 70; Sall. C. 52, 13; Liv. 4, 17, 7; Hor. S. 2, 2, 90:
Mulciber, credo, arma fecit,Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 32; so id. Truc. 2, 5, 27; Caes. B. C. 2, 31; Cic. Fin. 1, 3, 7; id. Tusc. 1, 22, 52; Verg. A. 6, 368 et saep.:
aut jam hic aderit, credo hercle, aut jam adest,Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 74.