Search
Search
Listen on:
Follow me:
Search
Search
Listen on:
Follow me:
Home » Discussion Forum

Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

Discussion Forum (Archived)

Please consider registering
Guest
Search
Advanced Search
Forum Scope


Match



Forum Options



Min search length: 3 characters / Max search length: 84 characters
Search
The forums are currently locked and only available for read only access
sp_TopicIcon
Is "fidel" a word? (or, What is the opposite of infidel?)
Rob
1
2007/12/11 - 12:50pm
Print

So I'm not sure what got me thinking about this ... but here it is ...

Fidelity means faithfulness or loyalty. Right?
Infidelity means the opposite, usually in the context of marriage or something similar.
Infidel is an untrue or disloyal person, usually in the context of religion.
So ... it seems to me that the root of all these words is "fidel," which isn't exactly in common usage -- not in English, anyway. Is "fidel" a word? Does it mean a faithful, loyal or truthful person?

Just wondering.

Guest
2
2007/12/11 - 6:25pm
Print

They do share a common source, but it isn't "fidel." See here.

Rob
3
2007/12/13 - 1:17pm
Print

So those all basically grow from the Latin "fides" (faith), but that doesn't exactly answer the question, which is, does it make sense that "fidel" should be a natural English word for a faithful person? Just wondering why it never developed that way.

Forum Timezone: America/Los_Angeles
Show Stats
Administrators:
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Moderators:
Grant Barrett
Top Posters:
Newest Members:
Eileen Kosnik
Forum Stats:
Groups: 1
Forums: 1
Topics: 3647
Posts: 18912

 

Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 618
Members: 1267
Moderators: 1
Admins: 2
Most Users Ever Online: 1147
Currently Online:
Guest(s) 39
Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)

Menu

Recent posts