pervinco

Latin

FWOTD – 17 August 2026

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *per-der.

Proto-Italic *peri-

Latin per-

Proto-Indo-European *weyk-

Proto-Indo-European *winékti ~ *winkénti

Proto-Italic *winkō

Latin vincō

Latin pervincō

From per- (“utterly, thoroughly”) + vincō (“to defeat, vanquish, beat”).

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [pɛrˈwɪŋ.koː]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [perˈviŋ.ko]

Verb

pervincō (present infinitive pervincere, perfect active pervīcī, supine pervictum); third conjugation

(literally, military, transitive) to conquer, defeat completely
Synonyms: ēvincō, expugnō
- 30 BCE – 16 BCE, Propertius, Elegiae 1.17.15:
  nonne fuit levius dominae pervincere mores
  1990 translation by G. P. Goold
  Was it not easier to conquer my mistress’s temper
1. (intransitive) to come out an undisputed victor, gain a complete victory (over someone)
  - c. 117 CE, Tacitus, Annales 11.10:
    Et hinc contra itum ad amnem Erinden; in cuius transgressu multum certato pervicit Vardanes
    1937 translation by John Jackson
    On the other side, a counter-advance brought Vardanes to the river Erindes. A severe struggle at the crossing ended in his complete victory
(figuratively, ambitransitive) to prevail (intransitive); to prevail over (transitive) [first attested in Plautus]^[1]
- c. 206 BCE, Plautus, Miles Gloriosus 942–943:
  Ubi facta erit conlatio nostrarum malitiarum,
  haud vereor ne nos subdola perfidia pervincamur.
  2011 translation by Wolfgang de Melo
  When we’ve brought together our resources of malice, I’m not afraid that we’ll be conquered by tricky perfidy.
1. (transitive) to prevail upon someone, to overcome one's will (often with great effort); to force or induce; (loosely) to persuade, convince someone
  Synonyms: indūcō, persuadeō, perpellō
  
  pervincere aliquem ut... ― to prevail upon someone that they...
  - 27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita 4.12.4:
    neque ut de agris dividendis plebi referrent consules ad senatum pervincere potuit
    neither was he able to force the consuls to refer to the Senate a proposal for allotting land to the plebs
  - 27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita 42.45.4:
    multis orationibus pervicerat Rhodios, ut […] Romanam societatem, unam tum in terris uel viribus uel fide stabilem, retinerent.
    he, with plenty of arguments, convinced the Rhodians to keep their alliance with Rome, which was the only one that could be trusted in the world for its strength and fidelity.
  - c. 117 CE, Tacitus, Annales 15.57:
    At illam non verbera, non ignes, non ira eo acrius torquentium, ne a femina spernerentur, pervicere, quin obiecta denegaret.
    1937 translation by John Jackson
    But neither the lash nor fire, nor yet the anger of the torturers, who redoubled their efforts rather than be braved by a woman, broke down her denial of the allegations.
    (literally, “But neither lashes, flames, nor the wrath of the men tormenting her the more sharply, lest they be spurned by a woman, were able to overcome her as not to deny that which was opposed her.”)
2. (ambitransitive) to prevail as to effect or bring about something with much labor, to achieve
  Synonym: ēmolior
  
  Near-synonym: efficiō
  - c. 190 BCE, Plautus, Curculio 213:
    si amas, eme, ne rogites, facito ut pretio pervincas tuo.
    2011 translation by Wolfgang de Melo
    if you love me, buy me and don’t just ask for me, but make sure you win with the highest bid.
  - c. 84 BCE – 54 BCE, Catullus, Carmina 76.14–16:
    difficilest, verum hoc qualubet efficias.
    Una salus haec est, hoc est tibi pervincendum:
    hoc facias
    It is difficult, but you truly must accomplish this somehow. There is your only deliverance, this is for you to bring about, you must accomplish this
  - 20 BCE – 14 BCE, Horatius, Epistulae 2.1.200–201:
    nam quae pervincere voces
    evaluere sonum, referunt quem nostra theatra?
    1926 translation by H. Rushton Fairclough
    For what voices have ever prevailed to drown the din with which our theatres resound?
3. (intransitive) to carry a point, maintain an opinion
  - 68 BCE – 44 BCE, Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum 2.1.8:
    restitit et pervicit Cato
    1999 translation by D. R. Shackleton Bailey
    Cato opposed, and carried his point
4. (transitive) to prove, demonstrate
  Synonyms: probō, demonstrō
  - c. 99 BCE – 55 BCE, Lucretius, De rerum natura 5.99:
    et quam difficile id mihi sit pervincere dictis
    and how difficult it is for me to prove by argument

Conjugation

Conjugation of pervincō (third conjugation)

indicative		singular				plural
indicative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	pervincō	pervincis		pervincit	pervincimus	pervincitis		pervincunt
	imperfect	pervincēbam	pervincēbās		pervincēbat	pervincēbāmus	pervincēbātis		pervincēbant
	future	pervincam	pervincēs		pervincet	pervincēmus	pervincētis		pervincent
	perfect	pervīcī	pervīcistī		pervīcit	pervīcimus	pervīcistis		pervīcērunt, pervīcēre
	pluperfect	pervīceram	pervīcerās		pervīcerat	pervīcerāmus	pervīcerātis		pervīcerant
	future perfect	pervīcerō	pervīceris		pervīcerit	pervīcerimus	pervīceritis		pervīcerint
passive	present	pervincor	pervinceris, pervincere		pervincitur	pervincimur	pervinciminī		pervincuntur
	imperfect	pervincēbar	pervincēbāris, pervincēbāre		pervincēbātur	pervincēbāmur	pervincēbāminī		pervincēbantur
	future	pervincar	pervincēris, pervincēre		pervincētur	pervincēmur	pervincēminī		pervincentur
	perfect	pervictus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	pervictus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	pervictus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular				plural
subjunctive		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	pervincam	pervincās		pervincat	pervincāmus	pervincātis		pervincant
	imperfect	pervincerem	pervincerēs		pervinceret	pervincerēmus	pervincerētis		pervincerent
	perfect	pervīcerim	pervīcerīs		pervīcerit	pervīcerīmus	pervīcerītis		pervīcerint
	pluperfect	pervīcissem	pervīcissēs		pervīcisset	pervīcissēmus	pervīcissētis		pervīcissent
passive	present	pervincar	pervincāris, pervincāre		pervincātur	pervincāmur	pervincāminī		pervincantur
	imperfect	pervincerer	pervincerēris, pervincerēre		pervincerētur	pervincerēmur	pervincerēminī		pervincerentur
	perfect	pervictus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	pervictus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular				plural
imperative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	—	pervince		—	—	pervincite		—
active	future	—	pervincitō		pervincitō	—	pervincitōte		pervincuntō
passive	present	—	pervincere		—	—	pervinciminī		—
passive	future	—	pervincitor		pervincitor	—	—		pervincuntor
non-finite forms		infinitive				participle
non-finite forms		active		passive		active		passive
present		pervincere		pervincī		pervincēns		—
future		pervictūrum esse		pervictum īrī		pervictūrus		pervincendus, pervincundus
perfect		pervīcisse		pervictum esse		—		pervictus
future perfect		—		pervictum fore		—		—
perfect potential		pervictūrum fuisse		—		—		—
verbal nouns		gerund					supine
		genitive	dative		accusative	ablative	accusative		ablative
		pervincendī	pervincendō		pervincendum	pervincendō	pervictum		pervictū

Derived terms

Descendants

Romanian: previnge

References

^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “vincō, -ere”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 679