Bona

[boh-nuh, -nah]

noun

Bône, the former name of Annaba.

Mount, a peak in S Alaska, in the Wrangell Mountains. 16,421 feet (5005 meters).

bona fides

[boh-nah fee-des; English boh-nuh fahy-deez or especially for 2, boh-nuh-fahydz, bon-uh]

noun

(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.

Can be confusedbona fide bona fides (see usage note at the current entry)

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for bona

Contemporary Examples of bona

Another sent back a flat-screen television with a bona fide tombstone within.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks
M.L. Nestel
December 19, 2014
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 Couple
James 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.
Ted Cruz saves America in This Right-Wing Coloring Book
Asawin Suebsaeng
November 13, 2014
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 Claims
Marlow Stern
November 6, 2014
By the time the CFDA awards rolled round in early 1994, Moss was a bona fide star.
Sex, Drugs, and Kate Moss: Secrets of a Wild Supermodel
Tom Sykes
October 9, 2014

Historical Examples of bona

The purchase of the face powder might have been quite innocent and bona fide.
The Ivory Snuff Box
Arnold Fredericks
"It was no mockery—it was a bona fide marriage," he returned.
The Masked Bridal
Mrs. 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 Corsairs
Stanley Lane-Poole

British Dictionary definitions for bona

Bona

noun

Mount Bona a mountain in S Alaska, in the Wrangell Mountains. Height: 5005 m (16 420 ft)

bona fides

noun

law good faith; honest intention

Word Origin for bona fides

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

by 1838, English pluralization of bona fide, as though it were a noun meaning "guarantee of good faith."