English
convince
Convince comes from Latin convincō ‘to refute, prove’, from vincō ‘to conquer, vanquish’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyk- ‘to overcome’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyk-‘to overcome’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*winékti ~ *winkéntireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*winkō‘to conquer, overcome’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvincō‘to conquer, vanquish’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconvincō‘to refute, prove’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1606convince
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyk-‘to overcome’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*winékti ~ *winkéntireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*winkō‘to conquer, overcome’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvincō‘to conquer, vanquish’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconvincō‘to refute, prove’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1606convince
Earliest quotation: c. 1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Macbeth: “[…]his two Chamberlaines / Will I with Wine, and…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weyk- ‘to overcome’
victim, weakness, witch, wicked, victor, province, wo, iconic, icon, wight, weakly, vicar, wile, waw, ancona, 33 more
through Latin vincō ‘to conquer, vanquish’
victory, victorious, eviction, invincible, evict, vanquish, 11 more
Today it means
verb To make someone believe, or feel sure about something, especially by using logic, argument or evidence.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyk- / convince