Also 3–5 trusten, (5 trusty), 5–6 truste, 5– trust; β. 4–5 troste(n, (4 trosti). Pa. t. and pple. trusted, († trust). See also TRAIST v., TREST v., TRIST v. [Early ME. ad. ON. treysta, assimilated in ME. to TRUST, trost, a. and sb. Cf. Sw. tröst comfort, trösta to comfort, console, Norw. trøste sig til to confide in; OS. trôstan, MLG. trôsten, Du. troosten, OHG. trôsten, Ger. trösten (with the sense to comfort (cf. L. fortis strong), cheer, encourage): see TRUST a.]
1. intr. To have faith or confidence; to place reliance; to confide. Const. in, to († of, on, upon).
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 503. Þeo þ[e] ham makieð … & alle þ[e] on ham trusteð [v.r. trusten].
a. 1240. Lofsong, in Cott. Hom., 213. Þeo hwile ðet ich truste uppo mon þu … lettest me al iwurden wið þeo þet ich truste uppon.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 9606. So muche he truste on him, þat in is warde he let do Henri is eldoste sone.
a. 1425. Cursor M., 4962 (Trin.). In oþere helpe me truste I nouȝt.
a. 1500. Sir Beues (Pynson), 3270. Moche he trusted in Arundel.
1560. Abp. Parker, Lett. to Bp. Grindal, 18 Nov. Trusting of your lordship’s good diligence herein.
1638. Hamilton Papers (Camden), 9. I trust in God to keipe them a sunder.
1656. H. Phillips, Purch. Patt. (1676), 3. Though the man … have the repute of an honest man, yet trust not too much upon that.
1706. E. Ward, Wooden World Diss. (1708), 50. He trusts much more to the Sun, for his Guide, than to the Creator of it.
1791. Charlotte Smith, Celestina (ed. 2), III. 22. She trusted on the long tried, the long assured tenderness of her lover.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. xvi. 112. Each had to trust to himself.
β. c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 45. Bliþely tille Inglond wild he com … If he myght on þam troste.
c. 1394. P. Pl. Crede, 350. Þei ben certayne men & syker on to trosten.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 503/1. Troston, confido.
2. trans. To have faith or confidence in; to rely or depend upon.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Anel. & Arc., 91. She him trustith aboue eche creature.
1491. Act 7 Hen. VII., c. 22, Preamble. Ye may send John Aleyne of Pole whom ye trust and y also.
1560. Daus, trans. Sleidane’s Comm., 165 b. He woulde not retourne to his Prince, for that he trusted hym no more.
1572. Satir. Poems Reform., xxxiv. 24. For Lordis and Lairdes ar nather Just Norȝit the commounis to be trust.
1687. A. Lovell, trans. Thevenot’s Trav., I. 74. He desired the command of a Ship, but they would not trust him so much.
1756. C. Smart, trans. Horace, Sat., II. iv. (1826), II. 133. The mushrooms, that grow in meadows, are of the best kind: all others are dangerously trusted.
1827. Scott, Highl. Widow, iv. He has trusted me, and I will trust him.
1874. Ruskin, Fors Clav., xxxvii. 17. I cannot trust other people, without perpetual looking after them.
β. 1382. Wyclif, Isa. xxxvi. 4. What is this trist, that thou trostest?
c. 1394. P. Pl. Crede, 237. For sich a certeyn man syker wold y trosten.
c. 1400. Apol. Loll., 45. If þei lofid & trostid Him aboue þe wark of þer hondis.
b. Imperative, used sarcastically or ironically to express one’s assurance that a person will or will not do something. colloq. (Cf. CATCH v. 40.)
1834. L. Ritchie, Wand. by Seine, 67. If a woman is in danger from the rain, whose umbrella … is at her service? The Frenchman’s? Trust him!
1902. R. Bagot, Donna Diana, vi. Trust a religious old maid for scenting out love!
3. To have faith or confidence that something desired is, or will be, the case; also const. with infin. or for; to hope.
1482. Cely Papers (Camden), 124. Howr mother and whe ar in good heyll, thankyd be God, and so we truste that ȝe be.
c. 1500. New Not-br. Mayd, xxxix. Trustying to shewe … That men have an yll use … women to blame.
1518. Hen. VIII., in State Papers, I. 1. I trust the Quene my Wyfe be with chylde.
1603. Shaks., Meas. for M., III. i. 271. I trust it will grow to a most prosperous perfection.
a. 1648. Ld. Herbert, Hen. VIII. (1683), 466. We should not trust to obtain at their [Saints’] hands that which is to be had only of God.
1781. Burke, Corr. (1844), II. 445. I trust that these things are wholly repugnant to my nature, and inconsistent with my principles.
1857. T. Moore, Handbk. Brit. Ferns (ed. 3), Pref. The author … trusts for a continuance of similar communications.
1880. Swinburne, Stud. Shaks., 307. He trusted to establish the secret history and import of each.
β. 1389. in Eng. Gilds (1870), 53. Oure godes [we] han dispent…; no catelle kepende,—trostende, as children, withe ȝiftes to ben amendyd.
1451. Capgrave, Life St. Gilbert, 90. Trostand for þis obediens to receyue sumtyme þe mor mede.
† b. with simple object: To hope for, look for. Obs. rare–1.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. cxlvi. 174. We truste in hym somoche gentylnesse, that by the grace of god his purpose shall chaung.
4. To give credence to, believe (a statement); to rely upon the veracity or evidence of (a person, etc.).
a. 1366[?]. Chaucer, Rom. Rose, 649. So faire it was, that, trusteth wel, It semede a place espirituel.
1586. A. Day, Eng. Secretary, II. (1625), 26. Trust me I am vnused to these deuices.
1632. Lithgow, Trav., III. 85. Trust me, I told … at one time, and within my sight, some 67. Villages.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., III. 601. ’Twas thus with Fleeces milky white (if we May trust Report,) Pan God of Arcady Did bribe thee Cynthia.
a. 1806. Bp. Horsley, Serm. (1816), III. xlii. 262. Every man implicitly trusts his bodily senses concerning external objects placed at a convenient distance.
1871. Freeman, Norm. Conq., IV. xviii. 286. If the tale is to be trusted, the ford must be looked for in the hilly country.
β. 1399. Langl., Rich. Redeles, I. 102. Ffor trostiþ rith treuly … All þat þey moued … Was to be sure of hem-self.
c. 1440. Generydes, 1624. Troste me wele it goo not as ye wene.
5. To commit the safety of (something) with confidence to a place, etc., to or with a person; to entrust; to place or allow (a person or thing) to be in a place or condition, or to do some action, with expectation of safety, or without fear of the consequences.
1340. Ayenb., 241. Þanne þe angel zayde to lot … ‘ne trost þe naȝt ine þe stede þet þou hest ylete.’
c. 1440. York Myst., xxxii. 322. As touchyng þis money … Tite truste it tille oure tresorie.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., I. i. 42. My ventures are not in one bottome trusted.
1617. Moryson, Itin., III. 1. Neither would I aduise Angelica … to trust her self alone … to the protection of wandering Knights.
1667. Milton, P. L., XII. 133. Not wandring poor, but trusting all his wealth With God.
1748. Anson’s Voy., II. xi. 254. The Spaniards never trust the silver without an armed force to protect it.
1781. Gibbon, Decl. & F., xxii. (1869), I. 626. He trusted the event to valour and to fortune.
1819. Scott, Ivanhoe, xxv. The Jewish maiden will rather trust her soul with God, than her honour to the Templar!
1908. R. Bagot, A. Cuthbert, vi. Afraid to trust herself to a retort, [she] walked out of the room.
6. To invest with a charge; to confide or entrust something to the care or disposal of.
1548. Udall, etc., Erasm. Par. Matt. xxiv. 96. The mayster hauynge a tryall of his trustines, wyll be bolde to truste hym with greater thynges.
1598. Shaks., Merry W., II. ii. 316. I will rather trust a Fleming with my butter,…then my wife with her selfe.
1651. Hobbes, Leviath., II. xix. 98. To keep those that had trusted him with the Government [etc.].
1718. Free-thinker, No. 16, ¶ 4. They should never trust him with a Lighted Candle again.
1789. J. Moore, Zeluco (1797), II. lxviii. 189. She was still afraid to trust her voice with words.
1828. Scott, F. M. Perth, vii. Let us meet at the East Port;… if it is your pleasure … to trust us with the matter.
1884. Church, Bacon, ix. 223. English seemed to him too homely to express the hopes of the world, too unstable to be trusted with them.
7. To give (a person) credit for goods supplied; † to supply with goods on credit (obs.); also, † to supply (goods) to a person on credit (obs.): see CREDIT sb. 9 a.
1530. Palsgr., 763/2. I truste a dettoure … No man wyll trust me, except I have redye money.
1541. Act 33 Hen. VIII., c. 15. Straungers … vsed to credite and truste the pore inhabitauntes … which … had not redy money to pay in hand.
1648. Cromwell, Lett., 25 Nov. Without money the stubborn townspeople will not trust them for the worth of a penny.
1678. in Fountainhall, Decis. (1759), I. 7. The prices of such … goods as were trusted by him.
a. 1687. Petty, Pol. Arith. (1690), 113. Any Tradesman of good Reputation worth 500l. will be trusted with above 1000l. worth of Commodities.
1775. Pennsylvania Even. Post, 13 July, 301/2. All persons are forbid to trust my Wife Sarah, as I will pay no debts of her contracting after this date.
b. absol. or intr.
1718. Free-thinker, No. 152, ¶ 5. My Dealing being in the Retail Way, I trusted little.
1818. Scott, Br. Lamm., xii. The brewster’s wife—she had trusted long, and the bill was aye scored up.
† 8. trans. To place (a person) in trust with property; to make a trustee of. Obs. rare–1.
1670. Act 22 Chas. II., c. 12 § 2. All such persons that are or shall be enfeoffed or trusted with any such Lands shall lett them to farme [etc.].
Hence Trusted ppl. a.; whence Trustedly adv. (rare).
1450. W. Lomner, in Four C. Eng. Lett. (1880), 3. The queche spynner he sente with certyn letters to certyn of his trustid men.
1784. Cowper, Task, III. 650. Ere he gives The beds the trusted treasure of their seeds.
1816. Southey, Lay Laureate, lxxviii. Shall she not then diffuse the word of Heaven Through all the regions of her trusted reign?
1856. Ruskin, Mod. Paint., IV. V. xi. § 9. The gateless path turns trustedly aside.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), I. 467. Within the circle of his own most trusted friends.
