Convincement

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of being firmly persuaded of something, holding a settled belief ; the process or act of bringing someone to accept a point through argument or evidence
2. A settled conviction that something is true ; the action of persuading another person to adopt a particular view or course of action
3. Firm certainty held about a matter ; the effort or result of winning someone over to an opinion through reasoning

Etymology: "Convincement" is a plain formation: the verb "convince" with the suffix "-ment," which English uses to turn verbs into nouns naming a state, process, or result (as in "settlement" or "amazement"). Here the suffix produces a noun for the condition of having been persuaded, so the word names the firm belief that results from being convinced rather than the act of persuading. The word is less common than its parent, and its sense has narrowed over time toward that settled state of mind. The verb "convince" itself came into English from Latin "convincere," meaning to overcome or prove wrong, so the older core of the family is about proving something decisively. The noun carries that sense of a conclusion that has been reached and will not easily be shaken.

Synonyms: conviction, persuasion