Skip to content
word of the day

Table of Contents

The word for today is…

bona fides (noun):

1 : good faith : sincerity
2 : the fact of being genuine —often plural in construction
3 : evidence of one’s good faith or genuineness —often plural in construction
4 : evidence of one’s qualifications or achievements —often plural in construction

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : Bona fides looks like a plural word in English, but in Latin it is a singular noun that literally means “good faith.” When bona fides entered English, it at first stayed very close to its Latin use, and it also kept its singular form—for example, “a claimant whose bona fides is unquestionable.” But in the 20th century, use of bona fides began to widen, and it began to appear with a plural verb in certain contexts, such as “the informant’s bona fides were ascertained.”

If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.

Latest

Lucy Needs Your Help So She Can Sue the Police

Lucy Needs Your Help So She Can Sue the Police

My hope is that if the defamatory press release put out about Lucy as a result of the botched police investigation results in findings against the police in court, then they will start caring about whether investigations are conducted competently.

Members Public
The Good Oil Daily Opinion Poll

The Good Oil Daily Opinion Poll

Take our Daily Opinion Poll and see how your views compare to other readers and then share the poll on social media. By sharing the poll you will help even more readers to discover The Good Oil.

Members Public