Persuade
/pərˈsweɪd/noun
To cause someone to do or believe something through reasoning or influence.
Did you know?Its Latin ancestor *persuādēre* literally meant “to advise thoroughly,” and the same *suād-* root also lives in words about sweetness and pleasing, showing how ancient speakers linked influence with making something feel desirable.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*swād-
“to be sweet, pleasant, agreeable”
Latin
Latin
suāvis
“sweet, pleasant”
Latin
Latin
suādēre
“to advise, urge, recommend”
Latin
Latin
persuādēre
“to thoroughly advise, convince”
Old French
OF
persuader
“to convince, induce”
Middle English
English
persuaden
“to induce by argument or appeal”
Modern English
English
persuade
“to induce to believe or do something by reasoning or argument”