/ˈboʊnɑ ˈfidɛs;Eng.ˈboʊnə ˈfaɪdizor, especially for 2,ˈboʊnəˌfaɪdz,ˈbɒnə/Show Spelled[boh-nah fee-des;Eng.boh-nuhfahy-deezor, especially for 2,boh-nuh-fahydz,bon-uh]Show IPA
noun
1.
(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.
2.
(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 confused:bona 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.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.