credence
n. uncountablen. the belief that something is true or valid. If you give something credence, you show that you think it is believable.
n. belief in or acceptance of something as true. Often used in the context of public or intellectual trust in a theory, claim, or rumour.
The new evidence gives credence to his story.
The government refused to give any credence to the rumours of a secret deal with the opposition.
While the initial report was dismissed as a conspiracy theory, subsequent leaks from the ministry lent significant credence to the whistleblower's allegations.
From Middle English credence, from Old French credence, from Medieval Latin crēdentia (“belief, faith”), from Latin crēdēns, present active participle of crēdō (“loan, confide in, trust, believe”). Compare French croyance, French créance, Italian credenza, Portuguese crença, Romanian credință, Spanish creencia. Doublet of credenza.
Commonly follows the verbs 'give', 'lend', or 'gain'.