Credence Cre"dence (krē"d
e ns)
noun [ Late Latin
credentia , from Latin
credens ,
-entis , present participle of
credere to trust, believe: confer Old French
credence . See
Creed , and confer
Credent ,
Creance .]
1. Reliance of the mind on evidence of facts derived from other sources than personal knowledge; belief; credit; confidence. To give credence to the Scripture miracles.
Trench.
An assertion which might easily find credence .
Macaulay.
2. That which gives a claim to credit, belief, or confidence; as, a letter of credence . 3. (Eccl.) The small table by the side of the altar or communion table, on which the bread and wine are placed before being consecrated. 4. A cupboard, sideboard, or cabinet, particularly one intended for the display of rich vessels or plate, and consisting chiefly of open shelves for that purpose.
Credence Cre"dence transitive verb To give credence to; to believe. [ Obsolete]
Credendum Cre·den"dum noun ;
plural Credenda (-d...). [ Latin , from
credere to believe.]
(Theol.) A thing to be believed; an article of faith; -- distinguished from agendum , a practical duty. The great articles and credenda of Christianity.
South.
Credent Cre"dent adjective [ .
credens ,
-entis , present participle of
credere to trust, believe. See
Creed .]
1. Believing; giving credence; credulous. [ R.]
If with too credent ear you list songs.
Shak.
2. Having credit or authority; credible. [ Obsolete]
For my authority bears of a credent bulk.
Shak.
Credential Cre·den"tial (kre*dĕn"sh
a l)
adjective [ Confer Italian
credenziale , from Late Latin
credentia . See
Credence .]
Giving a title or claim to credit or confidence; accrediting. Their credential letters on both sides.
Camden.
Credential Cre·den"tial noun [ Confer Italian
credenziale .]
1. That which gives a title to credit or confidence. 2. plural Testimonials showing that a person is entitled to credit, or has right to exercise official power, as the letters given by a government to an ambassador or envoy, or a certificate that one is a duly elected delegate. The committee of estates excepted against the credentials of the English commissioners.
Whitelocke.
Had they not shown undoubted credentials from the Divine Person who sent them on such a message.
Addison.
Credibility Cred`i·bil"i·ty (krĕd`ĭ*bĭl"ĭ*tȳ)
noun [ Confer French
crédibilité .]
The quality of being credible; credibleness; as, the credibility of facts; the credibility of witnesses.
Credible Cred"i·ble (krĕd"ĭ*b'l)
adjective [ Latin
credibilis , from
credere . See
Creed .]
Capable of being credited or believed; worthy of belief; entitled to confidence; trustworthy. Things are made credible either by the known condition and quality of the utterer or by the manifest likelihood of truth in themselves.
Hooker.
A very diligent and observing person, and likewise very sober and credible .
Dampier.
Credibleness Cred"i·ble·ness noun The quality or state of being credible; worthiness of belief; credibility. [ R.]
Boyle.
Credibly Cred"i·bly adverb In a manner inducing belief; as, I have been credibly informed of the event.
Credit Cred"it (krĕd"ĭt)
noun [ French
crédit (cf. Italian
credito ), Latin
creditum loan, prop. neut. of
creditus , past participle of
credere to trust, loan, believe. See
Creed .]
1. Reliance on the truth of something said or done; belief; faith; trust; confidence. When Jonathan and the people heard these words they gave no credit unto them, nor received them.
1 Macc. x. 46.
2. Reputation derived from the confidence of others; esteem; honor; good name; estimation. John Gilpin was a citizen
Of credit and renown.
Cowper.
3. A ground of, or title to, belief or confidence; authority derived from character or reputation. The things which we properly believe, be only such as are received on the credit of divine testimony.
Hooker.
4. That which tends to procure, or add to, reputation or esteem; an honor. I published, because I was told I might please such as it was a credit to please.
Pope.
5. Influence derived from the good opinion, confidence, or favor of others; interest. Having credit enough with his master to provide for his own interest.
Clarendon.
6. (Com.) Trust given or received; expectation of future playment for property transferred, or of fulfillment or promises given; mercantile reputation entitling one to be trusted; -- applied to individuals, corporations, communities, or nations; as, to buy goods on credit . Credit is nothing but the expectation of money, within some limited time.
Locke.
7. The time given for payment for lands or goods sold on trust; as, a long credit or a short credit . 8. (Bookkeeping) The side of an account on which are entered all items reckoned as values received from the party or the category named at the head of the account; also, any one, or the sum, of these items; -- the opposite of debit ; as, this sum is carried to one's credit , and that to his debit ; A has several credits on the books of B. Bank credit ,
or Cash credit .
See under Cash . --
Bill of credit .
See under Bill . --
Letter of credit ,
a letter or notification addressed by a banker to his correspondent, informing him that the person named therein is entitled to draw a certain sum of money; when addressed to several different correspondents, or when the money can be drawn in fractional sums in several different places, it is called a circular letter of credit . --
Public credit .
(a) The reputation of, or general confidence in, the ability or readiness of a government to fulfill its pecuniary engagements. (b) The ability and fidelity of merchants or others who owe largely in a community. He touched the dead corpse of Public Credit , and it sprung upon its feet.
D. Webster.
Credit Cred"it (krĕd"ĭt)
transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Credited ;
present participle & verbal noun Crediting .]
1. To confide in the truth of; to give credence to; to put trust in; to believe. How shall they credit
A poor unlearned virgin?
Shak.
2. To bring honor or repute upon; to do credit to; to raise the estimation of. You credit the church as much by your government as you did the school formerly by your wit.
South.
3. (Bookkeeping) To enter upon the credit side of an account; to give credit for; as, to credit the amount paid; to set to the credit of; as, to credit a man with the interest paid on a bond. To credit with ,
to give credit for; to assign as justly due to any one. Crove, Helmholtz, and Meyer, are more than any others to be credited with the clear enunciation of this doctrine.
Newman.
Crédit foncier Cré`dit" fon`cier" (kr?d?" f?n`s??"). [ French crédit credit & foncier relating to land, landed.] A company licensed for the purpose of carrying out improvements, by means of loans and advances upon real securities.
Crédit mobilier Cré`dit" mo`bi`lier" (m?`b?`ly?"). [ French crédit credit & mobilier personal, pertaining to personal property.] A joint stock company, formed for general banking business, or for the construction of public works, by means of loans on personal estate, after the manner of the crédit foncier on real estate. In practice, however, this distinction has not been strictly observed.
Creditable Cred"it·a·ble adjective 1. Worthy of belief. [ Obsolete]
Divers creditable witnesses deposed.
Ludlow.
2. Deserving or possessing reputation or esteem; reputable; estimable. This gentleman was born of creditable parents.
Goldsmith.
3. Bringing credit, reputation, or honor; honorable; as, such conduct is highly creditable to him. Macaulay. He settled him in a good creditable way of living.
Arbuthnot.
Creditableness Cred"it·a·ble·ness noun The quality of being creditable.
Creditably Cred"it·a·bly adverb In a creditable manner; reputably; with credit.
Creditor Cred"it·or noun [ Latin : confer French
cr...diteur . See
Credit .]
1. One who credits, believes, or trusts. The easy creditors of novelties.
Daniel.
2. One who gives credit in business matters; hence, one to whom money is due; -- correlative to debtor . Creditors have better memories than debtors.
Franklin.
Creditress Cred"it·ress noun [ Latin
creditrix .]
A female creditor.
Credo Cre"do noun [ Latin See
Creed .]
The creed, as sung or read in the Roman Catholic church. He repeated Aves and Credos .
Macaulay.
Credulity Cre·du"li·ty noun [ Latin
credulitas , from
credulus : confer French
crédulité . See
Credulous .]
Readiness of belief; a disposition to believe on slight evidence. That implict credulity is the mark of a feeble mind will not be disputed.
Sir W. Hamilton.
Credulous Cred"u·lous adjective [ Latin
credulus , from
credere . See
Creed .]
1. Apt to believe on slight evidence; easily imposed upon; unsuspecting. Landor. Eve, our credulous mother.
Milton.
2. Believed too readily. [ Obsolete]
Beau. & Fl.
Credulously Cred"u·lous·ly adverb With credulity.
Credulousness Cred"u·lous·ness noun Readiness to believe on slight evidence; credulity. Beyond all credulity is the credulousness of atheists.
S. Clarke.
Creed Creed (krēd)
noun [ Middle English
credo ,
crede , Anglo-Saxon
creda , from Latin
credo I believe, at the beginning of the Apostles' creed, from
credere to believe; akin to OIr.
cretim I believe, and Sanskrit
çraddadhāmi ;
çrat trust +
dhā to put. See
Do ,
transitive verb , and confer
Credo ,
Grant .]
1. A definite summary of what is believed; esp., a summary of the articles of Christian faith; a confession of faith for public use; esp., one which is brief and comprehensive. In the Protestant system the creed is not coördinate with, but always subordinate to, the Bible.
Schaff-Herzog Encyc.
2. Any summary of principles or opinions professed or adhered to. I love him not, nor fear him; there's my creed .
Shak.
Apostles' creed ,
Athanasian creed ,
Nicene creed .
See under Apostle , Athanasian , Nicene .
Creed Creed transitive verb To believe; to credit. [ Obsolete]
That part which is so creeded by the people.
Milton.
Creedless Creed"less adjective Without a creed. Carlyle.
Creek Creek (krēk)
noun [ Anglo-Saxon
crecca ; akin to Dutch
kreek , Icelandic
kriki crack, nook; confer W.
crig crack,
crigyll ravine, creek. Confer
Crick ,
Crook .]
1. A small inlet or bay, narrower and extending further into the land than a cove; a recess in the shore of the sea, or of a river. Each creek and cavern of the dangerous shore.
Cowper.
They discovered a certain creek , with a shore.
Acts xxvii. 39.
2. A stream of water smaller than a river and larger than a brook. Lesser streams and rivulets are denominated creeks .
Goldsmith.
3. Any turn or winding. The passages of alleys, creeks , and narrow lands.
Shak.
Creekfish Creek"fish noun (Zoology) The chub sucker.
Creeks Creeks (krēks)
noun plural ;
sing. Creek .
(Ethnol.) A tribe or confederacy of North American Indians, including the Muskogees, Seminoles, Uchees, and other subordinate tribes. They formerly inhabited Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.
Creeky Creek"y (krēk"ȳ)
adjective Containing, or abounding in, creeks; characterized by creeks; like a creek; winding. "The
creeky shore."
Spenser.
Creel Creel (krēl)
noun [ Gael.
craidhleag basket, creel.]
1. An osier basket, such as anglers use. Sir W. Scott. 2. (Spinning) A bar or set of bars with skewers for holding paying-off bobbins, as in the roving machine, throstle, and mule.
Creep Creep (krēp)
transitive verb [
imperfect Crept (krĕpt) (
Crope (krōp), Obsolete);
past participle Crept ;
present participle & verbal noun Creeping .] [ Middle English
crepen ,
creopen , Anglo-Saxon
creópan ; akin to Dutch
kruipen , German
kriechen , Icelandic
krjupa , Swedish
krypa , Danish
krybe . Confer
Cripple ,
Crouch .]
1. To move along the ground, or on any other surface, on the belly, as a worm or reptile; to move as a child on the hands and knees; to crawl. Ye that walk
The earth, and stately tread, or lowly creep .
Milton.
2. To move slowly, feebly, or timorously, as from unwillingness, fear, or weakness. The whining schoolboy . . . creeping , like snail,
Unwillingly to school.
Shak.
Like a guilty thing, I creep .
Tennyson.
3. To move in a stealthy or secret manner; to move imperceptibly or clandestinely; to steal in; to insinuate itself or one's self; as, age creeps upon us. The sophistry which creeps into most of the books of argument.
Locke.
Of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women.
2. Tim. iii. 6.
4. To slip, or to become slightly displaced; as, the collodion on a negative, or a coat of varnish, may creep in drying; the quicksilver on a mirror may creep . 5. To move or behave with servility or exaggerated humility; to fawn; as, a creeping sycophant. To come as humbly as they used to creep .
Shak.
6. To grow, as a vine, clinging to the ground or to some other support by means of roots or rootlets, or by tendrils, along its length. "Creeping vines."
Dryden. 7. To have a sensation as of insects creeping on the skin of the body; to crawl; as, the sight made my flesh creep . See Crawl , intransitive verb , 4. 8. To drag in deep water with creepers, as for recovering a submarine cable.
Creep Creep noun 1. The act or process of creeping. 2. A distressing sensation, or sound, like that occasioned by the creeping of insects. A creep of undefinable horror.
Blackwood's Mag.
Out of the stillness, with gathering creep ,
Like rising wind in leaves.
Lowell.
3. (Mining) A slow rising of the floor of a gallery, occasioned by the pressure of incumbent strata upon the pillars or sides; a gradual movement of mining ground.
Creeper Creep"er (krēp"ẽr)
noun 1. One who, or that which, creeps; any creeping thing. Standing waters are most unwholesome, . . . full of mites, creepers ; slimy, muddy, unclean.
Burton.
2. (Botany) A plant that clings by rootlets, or by tendrils, to the ground, or to trees, etc.; as, the Virginia creeper ( Ampelopsis quinquefolia ). 3. (Zoology) A small bird of the genus Certhia , allied to the wrens. The brown or common European creeper is C. familiaris , a variety of which ( var. Americana ) inhabits America; -- called also tree creeper and creeptree . The American black and white creeper is Mniotilta varia . 4. A kind of patten mounted on short pieces of iron instead of rings; also, a fixture with iron points worn on a shoe to prevent one from slipping. 5. plural A spurlike device strapped to the boot, which enables one to climb a tree or pole; -- called often telegraph creepers . 6. A small, low iron, or dog, between the andirons. 7. plural An instrument with iron hooks or claws for dragging at the bottom of a well, or any other body of water, and bringing up what may lie there. 8. Any device for causing material to move steadily from one part of a machine to another, as an apron in a carding machine, or an inner spiral in a grain screen. 9. plural (Architecture) Crockets. See Crocket .
Creephole Creep"hole` noun 1. A hole or retreat into which an animal may creep, to escape notice or danger. 2. A subterfuge; an excuse.
Creepie Creep"ie (-ȳ)
noun A low stool. [ Scot.]
Creepiness Creep"i·ness (-ĭ-nĕs)
noun An uneasy sensation as of insects creeping on the skin. She felt a curious, uneasy creepiness .
Mrs. Alexander.
Creeping Creep"ing adjective 1. Crawling, or moving close to the ground. "Every
creeping thing."
Gen. vi. 20. 2. Growing along, and clinging to, the ground, or to a wall, etc., by means of rootlets or tendrils. Casements lined with creeping herbs.
Cowper.
Ceeping crowfoot (Botany) ,
a plant, the Ranunculus repens . --
Creeping snowberry ,
an American plant ( Chiogenes hispidula ) with white berries and very small round leaves having the flavor of wintergreen.
Creeping Charlie Creep"ing Char"lie The stonecrop ( Sedum acre ).
Creepingly Creep"ing·ly adverb by creeping slowly; in the manner of a reptile; insidiously; cunningly. How slily and creepingly did he address himself to our first parents.
South.
Creeple Cree"ple (krē"p'l)
noun [ See
Cripple .]
1. A creeping creature; a reptile. [ Obsolete]
There is one creeping beast, or long creeple (as the name is in Devonshire), that hath a rattle at his tail that doth discover his age.
Morton (1632).
2. One who is lame; a cripple. [ Obsolete]
Thou knowest how lame a creeple this world is.
Donne.
Creepy Creep"y (krēp"ȳ)
adjective Crawly; having or producing a sensation like that caused by insects creeping on the skin. [ Colloq.]
One's whole blood grew curdling and creepy .
R. Browning.
Crees Crees (krēz)
noun plural ;
sing. Cree .
(Ethnol.) An Algonquin tribe of Indians, inhabiting a large part of British America east of the Rocky Mountains and south of Hudson's Bay.
Creese Creese (krēs)
noun [ Malay.
kris .]
A dagger or short sword used by the Malays, commonly having a serpentine blade. [ Written also
crease and
kris .]
From a Malayan creese to a sailor's jackknife.
Julian Hawthorne.
Crémaillère Cré`mail`lère" noun [ French]
(Fort.) An indented or zigzaged line of intrenchment.
Cremaster Cre·mas"ter noun [ New Latin , from Greek ........., from ............ to hang.]
1. (Anat.) A thin muscle which serves to draw up the testicle. 2. (Zoology) The apex of the last abdominal segment of an insect.
Cremasteric Crem`as·ter"ic adjective (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the cremaster; as, the cremasteric artery.
Cremate Cre"mate transitive verb [ Latin
crematus , past participle of
cremare to burn; confer Sanskrit
cr... to cook.]
To burn; to reduce to ashes by the action of fire, either directly or in an oven or retort; to incremate or incinerate; as, to cremate a corpse, instead of burying it.
Cremation Cre·ma"tion noun [ Latin
crematio .]
A burning; esp., the act or practice of cremating the dead. Without cremation . . . of their bodies.
Sir T. Browne.
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