v. [ad. L. convinc-ĕre to overcome, conquer, convict, demonstrate, f. con- altogether, wholly + vincĕre to conquer.]
I. To overcome.
† 1. To overcome, conquer, vanquish; fig. to overpower. Also absol. Obs.
1548. Hall, Chron., 161 b. Thenglishmen … with al their wittes studied bothe how to repulse & convince their enemies.
1570. Preston, Cambyses, in Hazl., Dodsley, IV. 174. I mean to go Into the Egypt land, Them to convince by force of arms.
1605. Shaks., Macb., I. vii. 64. His two Chamberlaines Will I with Wine, and Wassal so conuince, That Memorie, the Warden of the Braine, Shall be a Fume.
a. 1633. Munday, Pal. of Eng., I. i. At length convinced with the heavinesse of sleep … he turned him to the wall.
† 2. To overcome (a person) in argument; to prove to be wrong, confute. Obs. (Cf. also 6.)
1530. Palsgr., 498/2. There have ben twenty doctours to dispute with hym and above, but they all can nat convince hym.
1582. N. T. (Rhem.), Acts xviii. 28. For he with vehemencie conuinced [so 1611; 1881 confuted] the Iewes openly, shewing by the scriptures, that Iesvs is Christ.
1611. Bible, Job xxxii. 12. There was none of you that conuinced [so 1885] Iob, or that answered his words.
1671. Milton, P. R., II. 3. Satan stood … confuted and convinced Of his weak arguing and fallacious drift.
1708. J. Chamberlayne, St. Gt. Brit., I. II. vii. (1743), 69. Their office is to confirm the wavering, convince the obstinate.
¶ Johnson’s explanation ‘to force any one to acknowledge a contested position,’ is intermediate between 2 and 3: he has not the fully developed current sense.
3. To cause (a person) to admit, as established to his satisfaction, that which is advanced in argument; to bring to acknowledge the truth of; to satisfy or persuade by argument or evidence. In passive, To be brought to, or to have, a full conviction; to be firmly persuaded. (= CONVICT 5.)
1632. J. Hayward, trans. Biondi’s Eromena, 65. The reverence I owe you obligeth mee to receive them [your reasons] as if they had already convinced mee.
1690. Locke, Hum. Und., IV. xi. (1695), 363. He that sees a Fire, may, if he doubt … feel it too; and be convinced, by putting his Hand in it.
c. 1750. Shenstone, Elegies, vi. Translate the song, convince my doubting maid.
1772. Ann. Reg., 255, ‘I am confuted, but not convinced’ is an apology sometimes offered.
1828. Carlyle, Misc. (1857), I. 202. Let him who would move and convince others, be first moved and convinced himself.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), I. 488. I am convinced … and have nothing more to object.
b. of a fact.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., IV. 640. Convinc’d of Conquest, he resum’d his Shape.
1797–1804. Bewick, Brit. Birds (1847), I. 63. But having since seen several … the author is convinced of the mistake.
1879. Lubbock, Sci. Lect., vi. 171. It is never very difficult to convince one’s self of what one wishes to believe.
c. with subord. cl.
1606. Shaks., Tr. & Cr., III. ii. 171. That perswasion could but thus conuince me, That my integritie and truth to you, Might be affronted [etc.].
1662. Stillingfl., Orig. Sacr., III. i. § 2. Those who would not be convinced by them that there was a God.
1791. Cowper, Lett., 27 May. No man shall convince me that I am improperly governed, while I feel the contrary.
1862. Ruskin, Munera P. (1880), 83. My neighbour cannot be convinced that I am wiser than he is.
d. To produce a moral conviction of sinfulness.
Here there is a mixture of 4 (where see quot. 1611 ‘convince of sin’) with the modern notion of 3. Cf. CONVICT 4.
1648. Shorter Catech., Q. 31. Convincing us of our sin and misery.
a. 1853. Robertson, Serm., Ser. III. iv. (1872), 59. By convincing of sin, by humbling the man.
1880. Froude, Bunyan, ii. 25. A man of fervid temperament suddenly convinced of sin.
† e. Phrase. To convince any one’s belief. Obs.
1654. Ld. Orrery, Parthenissa (1676), 496. After I had convinced his belief of that Truth by many protestations. Ibid., 360.
II. To convict, prove, demonstrate.
† 4. To prove (a person) to be guilty, or in the wrong, esp. by judicial procedure; to prove or find guilty; to convict of, rarely for, in (an offence or error); = CONVICT v. 1, 2. Obs.
a. 1535. Fisher, Wks., 435. Who that hath broken the lawe of Moyses, if he were conuinced by two or thre wytnesses, he with out any mercy shulde dye.
1577. Hanmer, Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1619), 443. Thou art convinced … of many other hainous crimes.
1579. Tomson, Calvin’s Serm. Tim., 198/1. If … they be convinced thereby in the latter day for abusing this ceremonie.
1580. Baret, Alv., C 359. To be charged or conuinced in many crimes.
1611. Bible, John viii. 46. Which of you conuinceth mee of sinne?
1692. Ray, Dissol. World, III. ix. (1732), 398. Convinces him of a gross Mistake.
1776. Foote, Bankrupt, III. 87. Instead of clearing, this paper only serves to convince her.
† b. transf. of things. Obs.
1624. A. Wotton, Runne fr. Rome, 58. The assumption … will conuince the proposition of falsehood.
1716. M. Davies, Athen. Brit., II. 361. All of them convinc’d … Arianism of Heresy and Blasphemy.
† 5. To demonstrate or prove (orig. something reprehensible, but subsequently also in a neutral or good sense). Obs. (= CONVICT 3.)
† a. a person to be or to have done something.
1555. Fardle Facions, App. 320. Excepte any man … can bring any other cause to conuince them [the iudges] not to haue iudged a righte.
1577. trans. Bullinger’s Decades (1592), 103. Thereby to conuince vs to be sinners.
1598. Grenewey, Tacitus’ Germanie, vi. (1622), 270. The Gallican tongue doth conuince the Gothinos … not to be Germanes.
1660. T. M., C. Walker’s Hist. Indep., IV. 54. It were sufficient to convince the Speaker to be a Son of Beliall.
1692. O. Walker, Hist. Illustr., 64. Whoso was convinced to have ploughed them [the Termini] up, both his Oxen and himself were accursed.
† b. a thing to be or as something: Obs.
1579. Fulke, Heskins’ Parl., 409. The false Latine that is in many, is sufficient to conuince them for counterfets.
1613. Salkeld, Treat. Angels, 203. This may easily be convinced as false.
1638. Chillingw., Relig. Prot., I. ii. § 53. Other Arguments, whereby they convinced their doctrine to be true.
1654. Fuller, Two Serm., 58. So much of the Morall Law … as may convince their practice to be contrarie thereunto.
† c. that a thing is something. Obs.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1673), 113. Those two proverbs of holy Scripture … convince, that they [dogs] are emblems of vile, cursed, rayling, and filthy men.
1730. A. Gordon, Maffei’s Amphith., 108. Sufficient to convince, that without doubt Herod’s Amphitheatres were of Wood.
† d. with simple object (representing a proposition). Obs.
1654. Jer. Taylor, Real Pres., vii. § 1. The first proposition is beyond all dispute … Hoc facite convinces it.
1665. Boyle, Occas. Refl., Disc. Occas. Med. If Experience did not convince the contrary.
† 6. To demonstrate or prove (a thing, argument, etc.) to be erroneous; to disprove, refute.
(This sense has relations also with sense 2: cf. CONVICT 6.)
a. 1533. Frith, Disput. Purgat. (1829), 146. Whatsoever is not answered in this part, shall be touched and fully convinced in the third.
1548. Udall, etc., Erasm. Par., Luke iii. (R.). With a texte of Holy Scripture rightly alleged, he conuinced the texte of Scripture whiche Satan had falsely cyted.
1621. Venner, Tobacco (1650), 398. It convinceth not my assertion.
1625. Bacon, Ess. Atheism (Arb.), 331. God neuer wrought Miracle to conuince Atheisme, because his Ordinary Works conuince it.
† 7. To demonstrate or prove (absurdity, error, vanity, etc.) to be such; to expose (in its real character). Obs. (= CONVICT 6 b.)
1583. Fulke, Defence, x. 391. The text itself, you say, is sufficient to convince this absurdity.
1601. Holland, Pliny, I. 42. A very great argument … to conuince that grosse and blockish conceit of them who [etc.].
1655–60. Stanley, Hist. Philos. (1701), 46/2. The other … would not discover or convince their Vanity.
1675. R. Vaughan, Coinage, 7. I shall convince hereafter an important and a popular error.
† b. To expose and reprehend (faults). Obs.
1610. Bp. Hall, Apol. Brownists, § 13, Recoll. Treat. (1614), 740. The faults … of a Church may be severely reproved and convinced according to the quality thereof, and yet the Church not be condemned.
† 8. To demonstrate or prove any quality, property or predicate, of a person or thing: i.e., that the person or thing is possessed of such quality, etc. Obs.
1549. Parsons, Confer. Success., I. vi. 124. Yet shal I now agayne conuince more amply the vntruth therof.
1610. Healey, St. Aug. Citie of God, XXI. vi. (1620), 789. To conuince the possibility of what we intend against those Infidels.
1672. Wilkins, Nat. Relig. (1675), 91. An evidence … sufficient to convince the existence of a Deity.
1681. Ess. Peace & Truth Ch., 6. The antient Champions of Christianity most rationally convinced the Vanity of Heathenish Superstition.
