Emily Dickinson Lexicon

belief (-s, -'s), n. [ME bileafa, dear, esteemed, valuable, beloved < OE.] (webplay: consent, doubt, earth, faith, God, heaven, knowledge, leave, live, mind, name, opposed, permission, power, see, strong, suppose, think, trust, witness, yielding).

1. Divine expectation; hope in something not seen; persuasion of the truth of an alleged fact, distinct from personal knowledge; positive opinion, not based on evidence; acceptance of the testimony of another; (see 2 Thessalonians 2:13).
2. Thought; idea; conception; confidence.
3. Faith; trust; assent of mind; reliance even in the face of some doubt.
4. Hope; prospect; conviction of an afterlife.