bona fides: Meaning and Definition of

bo•na fi•des

Pronunciation: (bō'nä fē'des Eng. bō'n&schwa fī'dēz or, esp. for 2, bō'n&schwa&sylpfīdz&sec, bon'&schwa), [key]
  1. (italics) good faith; absence of fraud or deceit; the state of being exactly as claims or appearances indicate:bona fides of this contract is open to question. Cf. mala fides. The
  2. (sometimes italics) 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.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.