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Origin and history of trust

trust(n.)

c. 1200, "reliance on the veracity, integrity, or other virtues or sound principles of someone or something; religious faith," probably from Old Norse traust "help, confidence, protection, support," from Proto-Germanic abstract noun *traustam (source also of Old Frisian trast, Dutch troost "comfort, consolation," Old High German trost "trust, fidelity," German Trost "comfort, consolation," Danish trøst, Gothic trausti "agreement, alliance").

This is reconstructed to be from Proto-Germanic *treuwaz, source of Old English treowian "to believe, trust," and treowe "faithful, trusty" (from PIE root *deru- "be firm, solid, steadfast;" compare trow (v.), true (adj.)).

It is attested from c. 1300 as "reliability, trustworthiness; trustiness, fidelity, faithfulness;" from late 14c. as "confident expectation" and "that on which one relies."

It is recorded from early 15c. in the legal sense of "confidence placed in a person who holds or enjoys the use of property entrusted to him by its legal owner;" and by mid-15c. as "condition of being legally entrusted," hence "that which is committed to one for safekeeping or use."

The meaning "businesses organized to reduce competition; an organization for the control of several corporations under one direction" by a set of majority shareholders in all of them, is a legal sense attested by 1877 which exploded as a U.S. political issue, hence trust-buster, recorded by 1903.

also from c. 1200

trust(v.)

c. 1200, "have faith or confidence" (intrans.), from Old Norse treysta "to trust, rely on, make strong and safe," from traust (see trust (n.)). By mid-14c. as "believe credit, receive with credence;" the sense of "place or repose confidence in; rely or depend upon" is from late 14c. From late 15c. as "entertain a lively hope." Related: Trusted; trusting.

also from c. 1200

Entries linking to trust

trow(v.)

Middle English trouen, trowen, "accept as true or valid, believe in, give credence to, be of a certain opinion" from Old English treowan, truwian "trust in, believe, be confident; persuade, suggest; make true; be faithful (to), confederate with," from treow "faith, belief." This is from Proto-Germanic *treuwaz "having or characterized by good faith" (source also of Old Saxon truon, Old Frisian trouwa, Dutch vertrouwen "trust," Old High German triuwen, German trauen "hope, believe, trust"), "having or characterized by good faith," reconstructed to be from a suffixed form of PIE root *deru- "be firm, solid, steadfast."

true(adj.)

Middle English treu, from Old English triewe (West Saxon), treowe (Mercian) "faithful, trustworthy, honest, steady in adhering to promises, friends, etc."

This is reconstructed to be from Proto-Germanic *treuwaz "having or characterized by good faith" (source also of Old Frisian triuwi, Dutch getrouw, Old High German gatriuwu, German treu, Old Norse tryggr, Danish tryg, Gothic triggws "faithful, trusty"), according to Watkins this is in turn from a suffixed form of the PIE root *deru- "be firm, solid, steadfast." Compare trig, trow, trust (n.).

The sense of "consistent with fact, conformable to the actual state of things, not false or erroneous" is recorded from c. 1200. The meaning "real, genuine, rightly answering to the description, not counterfeit" is from late 14c.

As "conformable to law or justice" (as in true heir) from c. 1400. The meaning "exact, just, conformable to a certain standard or original" (as true north, true to the original) is by 1540s; in biology, "conforming to a type, norm, or standard of structure," from 1570s.

In reference to artifacts, "accurately fitted or shaped," from late 15c. Of aim, etc. "straight to the target, accurate," by 1801, probably from the sense, in reference to things, of "sure, unerring" (c. 1200). As an adverb, early 13c., from the adjective.

True-born (adj.) "of genuine birth, having right by birth to a title" is attested from 1590s; true-bred also is from 1590s. To come true (of dreams, etc.) is from 1819. For true blue see blue (adj.1). True-penny "honest fellow" is attested from 1580s.