credulus

Latin

Etymology

From crēdō (“to believe”) +‎ -ulus (“-ing”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈkreː.du.lus/, [ˈkreːd̪ʊɫ̪ʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈkre.du.lus/, [ˈkrɛːd̪ulus]

Adjective

crēdulus (feminine crēdula, neuter crēdulum); first/second-declension adjective

1. that easily believes a thing, easy of belief
   • 8 CE, Ovid, Fasti 4.311–312:

     cōnscia mēns rēctī fāmae mendācia rīsit,
     sed nōs in vitium crēdulā turbā sumus

     Her mind knew [her own] innocence, and laughed at the malicious gossip,
     but we – as a crowd, we easily believe in [someone else’s] fault.
     (See Claudia Quinta.)

2. credulous, gullible
3. trusting, trusting in
4. full of confidence in, confiding in

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	crēdulus	crēdula	crēdulum		crēdulī	crēdulae	crēdula
genitive	crēdulī	crēdulae	crēdulī		crēdulōrum	crēdulārum	crēdulōrum
dative	crēdulō	crēdulae	crēdulō		crēdulīs
accusative	crēdulum	crēdulam	crēdulum		crēdulōs	crēdulās	crēdula
ablative	crēdulō	crēdulā	crēdulō		crēdulīs
vocative	crēdule	crēdula	crēdulum		crēdulī	crēdulae	crēdula

Derived terms

• crēdulitās
• incrēdulus

Related terms

• crēdibilis
• crēdibiliter
• crēditor
• crēditrīx
• crēditum
• crēdō
• incrēdibilis
• incrēdibilitās
• incrēdibiliter
• incrēditus
• incrēdulitās

Descendants

• English: credulous
• French: crédule
• Italian: credulo
• → Portuguese: crédulo (learned)
• Romanian: credul
• Spanish: crédulo

References

• “credulus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “credulus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• credulus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• credulus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.