convingere

Forms

convingere f (plural convingeri)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian convinge + -re, the long infinitive of convinge “to convince” used as a noun.^[2][3][4][1] The verb is a learned loan of the late 18th century.^[2] DELR takes it from French convaincre, at first “to prove someone guilty”, itself borrowed from Latin convincō (“to prove guilty; to show clearly”), formed on vincō (“to conquer”).^[2] MDA2, DEX, Tiktin and Wiktionary take the verb straight from the Latin.^[5][4][6][1] All agree that it is conjugated like învinge “to defeat”.^[2][4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR and Tiktin date the noun to 1868, in Barcianu's dictionary, with the sense “firm opinion, conviction”.^[2][3] The verb is older: Tiktin and DELR have it from 1787.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The noun names both the act of convincing and its result, a firm belief.^[4][7] Damé gave both, rendering it “action de convaincre” and “conviction”.^[8] It replaced the older loan convicțiune, from French conviction, recorded from 1837 and now dated.^[2][4] Two adverbial phrases are common: cu convingere “firmly, with conviction” and fără convingere “half-heartedly”.^[4][5]

Timeline

• 1787 – the verb convinge.^[2][6]
• 1837 – convicțiune “conviction”, the older loan.^[2]
• 1862 – convingător “convincing”.^[2]
• 1868 – convingere “firm opinion” in Barcianu's dictionary.^[2][3]
• 1880 – răsconvins “fully convinced” in Caragiale.^[2]
• 1936 – neconvingător “unconvincing”.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. The act of convincing someone or of being convinced; convicțiune: o campanie de convingere.^[4][5]
2. A firm belief or opinion about something: Are convingeri politice puternice.^[4][5]

Related words

• convinge
• convingător
• convicțiune
• învinge

Usage notes

Cu convingere means “firmly, with conviction”, fără convingere “vaguely, without enthusiasm”.^[4][5]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2011–), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române (DELR), vol. I: A–B (2011), vol. II: C (2015–2018), București: Editura Academiei Române; continued online at delr.lingv.ro, p. s.v. convinge
3. ^ a b c Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. convingere
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 232
5. ^ a b c d e Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 502
6. ^ a b c d Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. convinge
7. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. convingere
8. ^ Damé, Frédéric (1893–1895), Nouveau dictionnaire roumain-français, 4 vols., Bucarest: Imprimerie de l'État, p. s.v. convingere