Bona
[boh-nuh, -nah]
- Bône, the former name of Annaba.
- Mount, a peak in S Alaska, in the Wrangell Mountains. 16,421 feet (5005 meters).
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bona fides
[boh-nah fee-des; English boh-nuh fahy-deez or especially for 2, boh-nuh-fahydz, bon-uh]
- (italics) Latin. (used with a singular verb) good faith; absence of fraud or deceit; the state of being exactly as claims or appearances indicate: The bona fides of this contract is open to question.Compare mala fides.
- (sometimes italics) (used with a plural verb) the official papers, documents, or other items that prove authenticity, legitimacy, etc., as of a person or enterprise; credentials: All our bona fides are on file with the SEC.
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Usage note
Bona fides is originally a Latin phrase meaning “good faith.” Fides is singular in Latin and has been used as such in English. At least partially because its -es ending makes bona fides look and sound like a plural, it has developed the plural sense “credentials.” This plural use, although criticized by some usage guides, has been increasing in recent decades in all varieties of speech and writing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for bona
Contemporary Examples
Another sent back a flat-screen television with a bona fide tombstone within.
The Facebook co-founder and his politically ambitious husband embodied all the attributes of a bona fide “gay power couple.”
The Rise and Fall of Chris Hughes and Sean Eldridge, America’s Worst Gay Power CoupleJames Kirchick
December 9, 2014
A conservative coloring book publisher is out with a new title imagining the tea party heartthrob as a bona fide superhero.
Stephen Hawking is not only a bona fide genius, but also one of the most resilient men on the planet.
The Other Side of Stephen Hawking: Strippers, Aliens, and Disturbing Abuse ClaimsMarlow Stern
November 6, 2014
By the time the CFDA awards rolled round in early 1994, Moss was a bona fide star.
Historical Examples
The purchase of the face powder might have been quite innocent and bona fide.
The Ivory Snuff BoxArnold Fredericks
"It was no mockery—it was a bona fide marriage," he returned.
The Masked BridalMrs. Georgie Sheldon
Yes, that when we arrive at Bona, the Ice Bird will not be visible.
The Son of Monte-Cristo, Volume I (of 2)Alexandre Dumas pre
Whether it intends to stop at Bona or Algiers I do not know.
The Son of Monte-Cristo, Volume I (of 2)Alexandre Dumas pre
Bona, just beyond, has its roads, and formerly possessed a deep harbour.
The Story of the Barbary CorsairsStanley Lane-Poole
Bona
- Mount Bona a mountain in S Alaska, in the Wrangell Mountains. Height: 5005 m (16 420 ft)
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bona fides
- law good faith; honest intention
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Word Origin
Latin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for bona
bona fides
n.
by 1838, English pluralization of bona fide, as though it were a noun meaning "guarantee of good faith."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper