OK, so what is TRUST?

These posts continue to explore TRUST in schools and in every day life— what it is, why it’s so vital, how to build it, how we need it in everywhere, how to spot and avoid distrust, how to rebuild if it’s fractured, etc., etc.

I’ll continue to share vignettes –short, very short stories — that I’ve gathered over the years from clients, colleagues, famous people whom I may not know personally, passers-by, relatives, readings,friends, and life itself. You get the picture. Wisdom and humor are everywhere — often in the most surprising places.

OK, so WHAT is TRUST?

One way to explore this basic question is to try to understand the root of the word, TRUST. Its etymology.

You’d think that would be an easy get. After all, it’s a SHORT word. But surprisingly, it was not for me. Even after a very brief non-exhaustive and somewhat random Google search, I’m still not sure what the root of TRUST is. It turns out that different sources lead to different roots for this very vital and short word.

Did the VIKINGS bring it to us, or was it the ROMANS, or the proto-GERMANS?

Here is a sampling of sources I found.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Trust — as a noun

assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something

one in which confidence is placed