Cred

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kɹɛd/

Definitions

1. The quality of being believable or trustworthy ; social acknowledgment of someone's expertise or status ; informal recognition of authority or respect in a community
2. The attribute of reliability or truthfulness ; the acknowledgment and acceptance by others of a person's knowledge or position ; street-level approval or esteem conferred informally
3. The characteristic of being convincing or valid ; the status achieved by gaining others' acceptance and confidence ; popular endorsement or validation within a group or culture

Etymology: "Cred" is a clipping of "credibility," shortened from the longer word by dropping its ending. The full word comes from the Latin "credibilis," meaning "worthy of belief," built on "credere," "to believe." English took "credibility" from that Latin root, and the shorter form came later as a casual, informal shortening. The shortened form shows how a formal word can be trimmed into everyday speech. Speakers kept the core sense of believability and dropped the suffix, so "cred" now carries the same meaning in a quicker, more colloquial package. It is most often heard in phrases such as "street cred," where it describes a person's standing with a particular group.

Synonyms: credibility, reputation, trustworthiness, prestige, authority

Antonyms: discredit, distrust, dishonor, doubt, skepticism