kredito

Here is a seam that is real. Most of the lookalikes this chapter collects turn out to be coincidences, but kredito and kredi are genuinely the same Latin verb: credere, to trust. Creditum is its past participle, "a thing entrusted", and that is exactly what credit is. A bank that extends you credit has not lent you money so much as decided to believe you.

It belongs with the small set of pairs where the Latin history holds up under inspection - the sort where you can put the two English glosses side by side and watch one become the other. Trust becomes lending. Believe becomes credit.

Keep three relatives apart. Kredito is the financial thing. Kredi is the verb, to believe. Kredo is a belief or a creed, which is a different noun from this one. And credit in the sense of praise for having done something is merito in Esperanto, never kredito: la merito estas via, the credit is yours.

The banking family that grows around it is regular and worth having together: banko, ŝuldi to owe, prunti to lend or borrow, and kreditkarto for the card in your pocket.