Fidel

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A term often associated with loyalty or faithfulness, typically reflecting a steadfast commitment to a person or principle
2. An adjective describing someone or something that is reliable and devoted, showing unwavering allegiance or dedication
3. A descriptor for qualities of fidelity, expressing a sense of trustworthiness and attachment in relationships or beliefs

Etymology: The English adjective "fidel" is a loanword from Spanish "fidel," which means "faithful" or "loyal." Its ancestor is the Latin "fidelis," built from "fides," meaning "faith" or "trust," the same root that gives English "fidelity," "confidence," and "faith." In Spanish, "fidel" carried that sense of trustworthiness, and English speakers took it over with the same meaning: someone or something steady in loyalty and dedication. The word is quite a recent arrival compared with its Latin relatives, which entered English much earlier through French. Because "fidel" came straight from Spanish, it preserves a more direct, less worn-down form of the Latin root than words that passed through French first. The borrowing kept the Spanish shape, so the connection to "fides" is easy to see even though the English word sounds quite different from "fidelity."

Synonyms: faithful, loyal, true, devoted

Antonyms: unfaithful, disloyal, false