fidelis

Latin

Etymology

From fidēs (“faith, trust”) +‎ -ēlis.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [fɪˈdeː.lɪs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [fiˈdɛː.lis]

Adjective

fidēlis (neuter fidēle, comparative fidēlior, superlative fidēlissimus, adverb fidēliter); third-declension two-termination adjective

1. faithful, loyal
   • semper fidelis
     • always faithful
   • 166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Andria 459–460:

     MȲSĪS: Ita pol quidem rēs est, ut dīxtī, Lesbia! / Fidēlem haud fermē mulierī inveniās virum.

     MYSIS: By Pollux, the situation is just as you’ve said, Lesbia! Hardly ever will you find a man who’s faithful to a woman.

2. true, trustworthy, dependable
3. believing, trusting

Declension

Third-declension two-termination adjective.

	singular			plural
	masc./fem.	neuter		masc./fem.	neuter
nominative	fidēlis	fidēle		fidēlēs	fidēlia
genitive	fidēlis			fidēlium
dative	fidēlī			fidēlibus
accusative	fidēlem	fidēle		fidēlīs fidēlēs	fidēlia
ablative	fidēlī			fidēlibus
vocative	fidēlis	fidēle		fidēlēs	fidēlia

Descendants

• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: fidele, fideli, fieli
• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: fidele, fedele
    • → Ladin: fedel
    • → Sicilian: fideli
• Rhaeto-Romance:
  • Friulian: fidêl
• Gallo-Italic:
  • Romagnol: fidél, fedél
• Northern Gallo-Romance:
  • Old French: fedeil (early), feel (see there for further descendants)
• Southern Gallo-Romance:
  • Old Catalan: feel
  • Old Occitan: fezel
    • Occitan: fidèl, fisèl
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: fiel
    • Galician: fiel
    • Portuguese: fiel
  • Old Leonese: *fiel
    • Asturian: fiel
  • Old Navarro-Aragonese: *feel, *fedel
    • Aragonese: fel, fiel, hiel, yel
  • Old Spanish: fiel, hiel, פִֿײֵאל
    • Spanish: fiel
• Borrowings:
  • → Catalan: fidel
  • → French: fidèle
    • → Romanian: fidel
  • → German: fidel
  • → Romansh: fidel

Noun

fidēlis m (genitive fidēlis); third declension

1. a confidant, trustworthy person

Declension

Third-declension noun (i-stem).

	singular	plural
nominative	fidēlis	fidēlēs
genitive	fidēlis	fidēlium
dative	fidēlī	fidēlibus
accusative	fidēlem	fidēlēs fidēlīs
ablative	fidēle	fidēlibus
vocative	fidēlis	fidēlēs

Related terms

• fidēlitās
• fīdō
• fīdus

References

• “fidelis”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “fidelis”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "fidelis", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “fidelis”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.