Did you know that the word convince originally meant “overcome” when it was first used in a 1548 history of the British royal family? Although this definition faded out in the seventeenth century, a new meaning of “to overcome in argument” emerged around the same time and has stayed with us to this day. If we delve into the Latin roots of the word, it starts to make sense: con- comes from the word cum, meaning “with”, and the vince part is derived from the verb vincere, meaning “to conquer”. The cum originates from Proto-Indo-European kom, meaning “beside”, and vincere comes from Proto-Indo-European weik, which means “to fight”. The word convince is closely linked to convict, as someone is convicted when a jury is persuaded by the arguments of the prosecution, as well as conviction, which signifies “proof” through overcoming evidence.
