doubt
Etymology
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Etymology
The verb is derived from Middle English douten [and other forms], from Old French douter, doter, duter (compare Middle French doubter), from Latin dubitāre, the present active infinitive of dubitō; the further etymology is uncertain, but one theory is that dubitō may be derived from dubius, from duhibius, from duo (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁) + habeō (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ-).
The noun is derived from Middle English dout, doute [and other forms],
from Old French doute, dote, dute, from doter, douter, duter (compare Middle French doubter; modern French douter); see further etymology above.
Displaced Old English twēo (“doubt”) and twēoġan ("to doubt").
Pronunciation Verbdoubt (doubts, present participle doubting; simple past and past participle doubted)
- (ambitransitive) To be undecided about; to lack confidence in; to disbelieve, to question.
- Synonyms: distrust, mistrust
- He doubted that was really what you meant.
- I had no wish to go, though I doubt if they would have noticed me even if I had.
- 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “The Generall Argument of the Whole Booke ↗”, in The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Hugh Singleton, […], →OCLC ↗:
- For they be not termed Eclogues, but Æglogues, vvhich ſentence this authour very vvell obſeruing, vpon good iudgement, though indeede fevv Goteheards haue to doe herein, netheleſſe doubteth not to cal thẽ by the vſed and beſt knovven name.
- c. 1580 (date written), Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC ↗:
- For never (I thinke) was there any woman, that with more unremovable determinatiõ gave her selfe to the coũcell of Love, after she had once set before her mind the worthines of your cousin Amphialus; & yet is nether her wisdome doubted of, nor honour blemished.
- 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC ↗; reprinted in The Pilgrim’s Progress as Originally Published by John Bunyan: Being a Fac-simile Reproduction of the First Edition, London: Elliot Stock […], 1875, →OCLC ↗, page 33 ↗:
- He that will enter in muſt firſt without / Stand knocking at the Gate, nor need he doubt / That is a knocker but to enter in; / For God can love him, and forgive his ſin.
- (transitive, archaic, outside, Scotland) To harbour suspicion about; suspect.
- 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC ↗, page 40 ↗:
- I walk by the Rule of my Maſter, you walk by the rude working of your fancies. You are counted thieves already, by the Lord of the way; therefore, I doubt you will not be found true men at the end of the way.
- 1815, Walter Scott, “Notes to Canto Second”, in The Lord of the Isles, a Poem, Edinburgh: […] [F]or Archibald Constable and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; by James Ballantyne and Co., […], →OCLC ↗, note VIII, page xlviii ↗:
- Rushing to the door of the church, [Robert the] Bruce met two powerful barons, [Roger de] Kirkpatrick of Closeburn, and James de Lindsay, who eagerly asked him what tidings? "Bad tidings," answered Bruce, "I doubt I have slain [John] Comyn." "Doubtest thou?" said Kirkpatrick, "I make sicker" (i.e. sure.) With these words, he and Lindsay rushed into the church, and dispatched the wounded Comyn.
- (transitive, archaic) To anticipate with dread or fear; to apprehend.
- 1810, Walter Scott, “Canto V. The Combat.”, in The Lady of the Lake; […], Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for John Ballantyne and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, and William Miller, →OCLC ↗, stanza XI, page 196 ↗:
- Fear naught—nay, that I need not say— / But—doubt not aught from mine array. / Thou art my guest;—I pledged my word / As far as Coilantogle ford: [...]
- (transitive, obsolete) To fill with fear; to affright.
- c. 1613 (first performance), John Fletcher, “The Tragedie of Bonduca”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC ↗, Act I, scene ii, page 51 ↗, column 1:
- I'll tell ye all my fears, one ſingle valour, / the vertues of the valiant Caratach / more doubts me then all Britain: [...]
- (ambitransitive, obsolete) To dread, to fear.
- 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “December. Ægloga Duodecima.”, in The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Iohn Wolfe for Iohn Harrison the yonger, […], →OCLC ↗, folio 49, recto ↗:
- Whilome in youth, when flowred my ioyfull ſpring, / Like ſwallow ſwift I wandred here and there: / For heat of heedleſſe luſt me ſo did ſting, / That I of doubted daunger had no feare.
- c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shake-speare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and Iohn Trundell, published 1603, →OCLC ↗, [Act I, scene ii]:
- Well, all's not well. I doubt some foule play, [...]
- 1819 July 14, [Lord Byron], Don Juan, London: […] Thomas Davison, […], →OCLC ↗, canto I, stanza CLXXXVI, page 96 ↗:
- At last, as they more faintly wrestling lay, / Juan contrived to give an awkward blow, / And then his only garment quite gave way; / He fled, like Joseph, leaving it; but there, / I doubt, all likeness ends between the pair.
- 1861, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter XXI, in Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC ↗, part II, page 357 ↗:
- I shall never know whether they got at the truth o' the robbery, nor whether Mr Paston could ha' given me any light about the drawing o' the lots. It's dark to me, Mrs Winthrop, that is; I doubt it'll be dark to the last.
- French: douter
- German: bezweifeln, zweifeln
- Italian: dubitare
- Portuguese: duvidar
- Russian: сомнева́ться
- Spanish: dudar
doubt
- (uncountable, countable) Disbelief or uncertainty (about something); (countable) a particular instance of such disbelief or uncertainty.
- Antonyms: belief, confidence, faith
- There was some doubt as to who the child's real father was.
- I have doubts about how to convert this code to JavaScript.
- 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC ↗; reprinted in The Pilgrim’s Progress as Originally Published by John Bunyan: Being a Fac-simile Reproduction of the First Edition, London: Elliot Stock […], 1875, →OCLC ↗, page 149 ↗:
- Thus they went on talking of what they had ſeen by the way; and ſo made that way eaſie, which would otherwiſe, no doubt, have been tedious to them; for now they went through a Wilderneſs.
- 1843 December 18, Charles Dickens, “Stave Three. The Second of the Three Spirits.”, in A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC ↗, pages 106–107 ↗:
- She was very pretty: exceedingly pretty. With a dimpled, surprised-looking, capital face; a ripe little mouth, that seemed made to be kissed—as no doubt it was; all kinds of good little dots about her chin, that melted into one another when she laughed; and the sunniest pair of eyes you ever saw in any little creature's head.
- (countable, obsolete or Indian) A point of uncertainty; a query.
- Synonyms: disbelief
- Antonyms: belief, tenet
- French: doute
- German: Zweifel
- Italian: dubbio, perplessità
- Portuguese: dúvida, incerteza
- Russian: сомне́ние
- Spanish: duda, incertidumbre, dubitación
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.022