Felt uncertain about something or didn't believe it was true.
From Old French 'douter' and Latin 'dubitare' meaning to waver or hesitate. The 'b' sound became silent in English pronunciation around the 1500s, though we kept it in spelling to honor the Latin origin.
The silent 'b' in 'doubt' is a fossil in English—scholars kept it for prestige, linking the word to learned Latin even though nobody pronounced it, similar to silent letters in 'debt' and 'subtle.'
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