convict
/kənˈvɪkt/
verb
Origin
Latin
convictus — past participle of convincere
Overview
Meaning Now
- to find or prove someone to be guilty of an offense, especially in a court of law
- to convince someone of the truth of a matter or the error of their ways
Literal older meaning
to conquer completely
Language path
Latin → Middle French → Middle English
Earliest form
convicten
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The term stems from the Roman legal principle of 'convincere', where the strength of the evidence serves to 'conquer' the defendant's plea of innocence. In legal English, it retains this sense of an authoritative proof of guilt.
Evolution
- Classical Latin
convincere
“to overcome, to conquer, to prove guilty”
Prefix con- (with/thoroughly) + vincere (to conquer).
- Late Latin
convictus
“proven guilty”
Participial form used in legal contexts.
- Middle English
convict
“to find guilty in a court of law”
Adopted from Old French and Latin.
Connections
Word parts
con-
prefix
together or thoroughly
vict
root
to conquer
Related across languages
French
convaincre
to convince
Spanish
convencer
to convince
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Related to convict
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.