- credit
- 1520s, from L. creditum "a loan, thing entrusted to another," from pp. of credere "to trust, entrust, believe." The commercial sense was the original one in English (creditor is mid-15c.). Meaning "honor, acknowledgment of merit," is from c.1600. Academic sense of "point for completing a course of study" is 1904. Movie/broadcasting sense is 1914. Related: Creditable (1520s); creditability (1886). Credit rating is from 1958; credit union is 1881, Amer.Eng.