Convict
/kənˈvɪkt/noun
A person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court.
Did you know?Convict comes from Latin convīcere, “to prove thoroughly,” built from com- (“together, completely”) + vincere (“to conquer”), the same dark root behind victory.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weik-
“to fight, conquer, or overcome”
Latin
Latin
vincere
“to conquer, subdue, overcome”
Latin
Latin
convincere
“to prove fully; to refute, defeat in argument”
Old French
Old French
convicte
“convicted, proved guilty”
Middle English
English
convicten
“to prove guilty; to find guilty by legal judgment”
Modern English
English
convict
“a person found guilty of a crime; also, to prove someone guilty”