Believe

be-lēv′, v.t. to regard as true: to trust in.— v.i. to be firmly persuaded of anything: to exercise faith (with in , on ): to think or suppose.— n. Belief′ , persuasion of the truth of anything: faith: the opinion or doctrine believed: intuition, natural judgment (as used by some philosophers).— adjs. Belief′le ; Believ′able , that may be believed.— n. Believ′er , one who believes: a profe or of Christianity.— p.adj. Believ′ing , trustful.— adv. Believ′ingly .— The Belief ( arch. ), the Apostles' Creed.— To make believe , to pretend. [M. E. bileven — bi- , be- , and leven . Murray says that believe is an erroneous spelling of the 17th century, prob. after relieve . The A.S. form geléfan survived to the 14th century; the present compound, which superseded it, appears in the 12th century.]