1. LESSON 7: THE ROOT –CRED- HONORS ENGLISH I VOCABULARY

2. CRED The Latin root –cred- serves as the core of many English words. It stems from the Latin verb creder, meaning “to believe.”

3. ACCREDIT (transitive verb) a. To recognize as having met official standards. b. To ascribe or attribute to; credit with. c. To authorize. Example: The state board of education had the power to accredit all schools in the county.

4. CREDENCE (noun) a.Acceptance as true or valid; belief b.Claim to acceptance; trustworthiness. Example: Mrs. Payne always reminds us not to give credence to gossip.

5. CREDENTIAL (noun) a.Something that entitles a person to confidence, credit, or authority. b.A letter or other written evidence of a person’s qualifications or status; a reference. Example: The Days lacked the credentials for a large business loan.

6. CREDIBILITY (noun) a. The quality of deserving confidence; plausibility; reliability. b. Readiness to believe. Example: The magazine article lacked credibility because of its many factual errors.

7. CREDITABLE (adjective) Deserving commendation; praiseworthy. Example: Although she lacked experience as a diplomat, she did a creditable job of defending the interests of her country.

8. CREDULOUS (adjective) Tending to believe too readily; easily deceived; gullible. Example: When “War of the Worlds” was first heard on radio, many credulous people were convinced that Earth was being invaded by Martians.

9. CREED (noun) Any statement or system of belief, principles, or opinions that guides a person’s actions. Example: My personal creed is to do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.

10. DISCREDIT (transitive verb) a. To cast doubt on; destroy belief, faith, or trust in. b. To damage in reputation; disgrace. c. To refuse to believe in. (noun) a. Doubt; lack of belief or trust. b. Loss or damage to one’s reputation. c. Something that brings disgrace or distrust. Example: A substantial body of scientific evidence has discredited the theory that human skull size is related to intelligence.

11. INCREDIBLE (adjective) a. Too extraordinary to be possible. b. Astonishing; amazing. Example: Pam’s incredible talent for computer programming enabled her to write sophisticated programs after only three weeks of training.

12. MISCREANT (noun) A person who behaves badly or criminally; villain (adjective) Wicked; base. Example: The police searched for the miscreant who had committed the robberies.