Etymologically
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überzeugen

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Pronunciation

  • /ˌyːbəʁˈtsɔʏ̯ɡən/, [ˌʔyːbɐˈt͡sɔʏ̯ɡn̩], [ˌʔyːbɐˈtsɔʏ̯ɡŋ̩][1]

Forms

überzeugen (third-person singular present überzeugt, past tense überzeugte, past participle überzeugt, auxiliary haben)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German überziugen (“to testify against; to convict by witnesses”), formed from Middle High German über- + ziugen (“to testify”).[2][3][4] The base verb is a derivative of the noun Zeuge, Middle High German ziuc “evidence; witness”, beside which the oldest form is Old High German giziugōn (“to declare”).[5][6] Kluge and Duden connect the noun with ziehen, as “drawing someone before a court”, but Kluge adds that the details remain unclear.[5][6]

The prefix is über, in its sense “against, down upon”: the verb first meant to overcome a defendant in court by producing witnesses against him.[3][7][8] A few writers of the 16th and 17th centuries spelled it ⟨überzeigen⟩, by association with zeigen.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Middle High German überziugen is recorded from the 13th century as a legal term, “to convict with witnesses”, for instance in the Schwabenspiegel and the town laws of Upper Swabia: den mag man überziugen mit zwain erberen mannen “he may be convicted by two honest men”.[8][4][2]

Semantic evolution

From the legal sense of proving a charge by witnesses or documents came, in theological writing from the 16th century, the sense of bringing someone by proofs to accept a belief, which became the usual one in the 18th century.[2][9][3] Luther still used the word for convicting: das macht seine eigene Bosheit, die ihn überzeugt und verdammt.[9] The thing one is convinced of was at first put in the genitive, as often in Goethe (eines Bessern überzeugen), and sich von etwas überzeugen and überzeugt sein became common from the 18th century.[9] The noun Überzeugung meant “conviction of a defendant” in the 16th century, “proof” in the 17th and “firm belief” from the 18th.[3][9] In the 20th century the verb also came to be used intransitively for performing convincingly, especially in sport.[7][1]

Timeline

  • 13th century – Middle High German überziugen is a legal term for convicting by witnesses.[2][8]
  • 16th century – The sense “to persuade by proofs” appears in theological writing.[2][9]
  • 16th century – Überzeugung is recorded in the sense “conviction (of a defendant)”.[3]
  • 18th century – “To persuade, convince” becomes the usual sense, and Überzeugung comes to mean “firm belief”.[2][3]
  • c. 1815 – Überzeugungstreue “loyalty to one's convictions” is formed.[9]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To convince: to bring someone by reasons or evidence to accept something as true or necessary, with von: Sie hat mich von ihrem Plan überzeugt.[7][1]
  2. (intransitive) To be convincing, to fully meet expectations: Die junge Torhüterin konnte im Finale überzeugen.[7][1]
  3. (reflexive) To make sure of something by checking it oneself: Er überzeugte sich, dass die Tür abgeschlossen war.[7][1]

Word family

  • Überzeugung
  • überzeugend
  • überzeugt
  • Überzeugungstäter
  • Zeuge
  • bezeugen
  • Zeugnis
  • überführen

Usage notes

The past participle überzeugt is used as an adjective, “convinced, firm in one's belief”: eine überzeugte Europäerin;[7] von sich überzeugt sein means to be conceited.[7] The older construction with the genitive (jemanden einer Sache überzeugen) is archaic.[1][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 939
  3. ^ a b c d e f Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
  4. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
  5. ^ a b Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 1008
  6. ^ a b Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag, p. 950
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
  8. ^ a b c d Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 23, 674
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer