v. [ad. L. ēvincĕre, f. ē out + vincĕre to conquer. (For the Lat. senses see EVICT.)]
† 1. trans. To overcome, subdue, prevail over.
1620. Venner, Via Recta, viii. 174. Because it cannot be concocted, and euinced of nature, [it] filleth the body with crude and flatulent humours.
1650. Hubbert, Pill Formality, 100. They will keep their hold until they be evinced and cast out.
1671. Milton, P. R., IV. 235. Error by his own arms is best evinc’t.
1678. H. Vaughan, Thalia Rediv., Day-spring. My Prince Whose fulness no need could evince.
† 2. To convince. Also absol. Obs.
1621. I. C., in T. Bedford’s Serm., sig. I. 6 a. Whether their … Consciences bee not … euidently euinced of the truth of the Gospell.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., Pref. b 2. Such, I am sure our modern Engine (the Microscope) wil ocularly evince and unlearn them their opinions again.
1668. Hale, Pref. to Rolle’s Abridgm., 2. His arguments were fitted to prove and evince, not for ostentation, plain yet learned.
1670. G. H., Hist. Cardinals, I. I. 13. The principal drift of his discourse was to evince the people, that the Religious … were oblig’d to reprehend the Errors and Enormities of all people, but especially of Kings.
† b. To confute, convict of error. Obs.
1608–11. Bp. Hall, Epist., VI. § 5. Were we euer the true Church of God? Who hath admonished, euinced, excommunicated, us?
1661. Cowley, Adv. Exper. Philos., Wks. 48. The popular and received Errors in Experimental Philosophy … shall be evinced by tryal.
1672. Sir P. Leycester, Prolegom., in Ormerod, Cheshire (1880), I. 29. Not evinced by any solid answer or reason to the contrary.
† 3. To constrain, compel (assent), extort (concessions, etc.) by force of argument or persuasive motives. Obs.
1631. T. Adams, in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden), 149. His profession of love … of readiness to assist in any thing … all which evince my most grateful acknowledgment.
a. 1658. Cleveland, Gen. Poems, etc. (1677), 170. I shall wave the Arguments wherewith you endeavour to evince our Consent.
† 4. To prove by argument or evidence; to establish. Also, rarely, To prove the rightness of, vindicate. Const. a. with simple obj.; b. with obj. clause; c. with inf. To prove (a person or thing) to be (so and so); d. absol. Obs.
a. 1610. Bp. Hall, Apol. Brownists, § 5. 15. Wee hold, and wish no lesse: your places euince no more.
1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., Democr. (1676), 11/1. You shall see by what testimonies, confessions, arguments I will evince it, that most men are mad.
1661. Boyle, Examen, iii. (1682), 20. Having said thus much to evince against Mr. Hobbs the Gravity of the Air.
1709. Strype, Ann. Ref., I. xx. 236. Who did commonly make it their Business in their Sermons, to prove and evince the Present Proceedings in Religion.
1738. Warburton, Div. Legat., I. 77. We require no more to evince the Falshood of that Assertion.
b. 1611. Speed, Hist. Gt. Brit., VI. ix. 80. Our former allegations doe euince that [etc.].
1695. Woodward, Nat. Hist. Earth, I. (1723), 16. Having detected the Insufficiency of them, by evincing how far they are from being conclusive.
1767. Gooch, Treat. Wounds, I. 419. We want not instances from lithotomy to evince, that wounds of this part are curable.
c. 1635. Jackson, Creed, VIII. xx. Wks. VIII. 39. Judicious commentators do clearly evince this form of congratulation Hosanna to be precatory.
1647. Lilly, Chr. Astrol., clxxvii. 750. [Symbol] … being in [symbol], an earthly Signe … will evince the Native to accumulate Wealth by Pastorage, Tillage [etc.].
1667. Naphtali, Postscr. (1761), 276. They will evince him to be the archest traitor that ever Scotland bred.
1709. Strype, Ann. Ref., I. xi. 138. The Practice of the Lawyers, Judges and Justices evinced this and the rest to be good Laws.
d. Bp. Hall, Cases Consc., II. v. (1654), 116. The Accuser complaines, the Witnesse evinceth, the Judge sentences.
5. To be an indication or evidence of; to make evident or manifest. Const. a. with simple obj.; b. with obj. clause or preceded by as.
a. 1772–84. Cook, Voy. (1790), IV. 1481. Their pacific disposition is thoroughly evinced, from their friendly reception of all strangers.
1802. Paley, Nat. Theol., xxvi. (1819), 465. The contrivances of nature decidedly evince intention.
1811. J. Pinkerton, Petral., I. 597. The presence of … resin, and fibre, are esteemed to evince the original vegetable character.
a. 1866. Grote, Eth. Fragm., iii. (1876), 52. Nothing can more clearly evince the preponderance of this view.
b. 1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., II. ii. VI. iii. (1651), 299–300. Fishes … which, as common experience evinceth, are much affected with musick.
1702. W. J., trans. Bruyn’s Voy. Levant, vii. 22. The Ruins that are round about do sufficiently evince that anciently there were great Buildings in this Place.
1726. Leoni, trans. Alberti’s Archit., I. 40 b. A Tower … made its way thro’ the ground it stood upon, which, as the fact evinced, was a loose weak soil.
1779. J. Moore, View Soc. Fr. (1789), I. vii. 45. What is mentioned in my last letter … evinces how very opposite their sentiments are.
1864. Bowen, Logic, xi. 359. These considerations appear to me to evince very clearly, that [etc.].
6. To give tokens of possessing; to reveal the presence of (a quality, condition, feeling); to display, exhibit, manifest.
1829. Scott, Rob Roy, Introd. 18. The knees and upper part of the leg … evincing muscular strength.
1853. C. Brontë, Villette, xxxvii. (1876), 420. His answers … evinced both wisdom and integrity.
1879. Hare, B’ness Bunsen, I. iii. 65. The extreme truthfulness … of both her father and mother is so quaintly evinced in the following letter.
b. refl. To show oneself (to be) so and so.
1804–8. Foster, in Life & Corr. (1846), I. 267. I evince myself a social man.
