(verb) : crēdo, dĭdi, dĭtum, 3 (
* 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), Sanscr. crat, crad, trust, and dha-; v. 2. do.
* 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
* 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.
* Transf. beyond the circle of business (very freq. in every period and species of composition).
* 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.
* With the prevailing idea of bestowing confidence, to trust to or confide in a person or thing, to have confidence in, to trust.
* 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.
* 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.
* Mihi crede, believe me, confide in my words, upon my word, ἐμοὶ πιθοῦ, 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* In gen. = opinor, arbitror, to be of opinion, to think, believe, suppose.
* 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.
* 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.
* Absol.: credo inserted, like opinor, puto, etc., and the Gr. οἶμαι, 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.

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