Plural of credence; things given belief or acceptance, or in churches, small tables where the Eucharist elements are placed before use.
From Old French 'credence' meaning 'belief' or 'trust,' derived from Latin 'credentia' (trustworthiness), from 'credere' (to believe). The ecclesiastical sense emerged in medieval church practice.
In medieval churches, credences were literally trust-testing tables—a servant would taste the communion wine and bread first to prove it wasn't poisoned, which is why the furniture became associated with the word for 'belief'!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.