Chapter 79

Con*vers"er (?), n. One who engages in conversation.

Con*ver"si*ble (?), a. Capable of being converted or reversed. Hammond.

Con*ver"sion (?), n. [L. conversio: cf. F. conversion. See Convert.] 1. The act of turning or changing from one state or condition to another, or the state of being changed; transmutation; change.

Artificial conversion of water into ice. Bacon.

The conversion of the aliment into fat. Arbuthnot.

2. The act of changing one's views or course, as in passing from one side, party, or from of religion to another; also, the state of being so changed. "Conversion to Christianity." Prescott.

3. (Law) An appropriation of, and dealing with the property of another as if it were one's own, without right; as, the conversion of a horse.

Or bring my action of conversion And trover for my goods. Hudibras.

4. (Logic) The act of interchanging the terms of a proposition, as by putting the subject in the place of the predicate, or the contrary.

5. (Math.) A change or reduction of the form or value of a proposition; as, the conversion of equations; the conversion of proportions.

6. (Mil.) (a) A change of front, as a body of troops attacked in the flank. (b) A change of character or use, as of smoothbore guns into rifles.

7. (Theol.) A spiritual and moral change attending a change of belief with conviction; a change of heart; a change from the service of the world to the service of God; a change of the ruling disposition of the soul, involving a transformation of the outward life.

He oft Frequented their assemblies, . . . and to them preached Conversion and repentance, as to souls In prison under judgments imminent. Milton.

Con*ver"sive (?), a. 1. Capable of being converted or changed.

2. Ready to converse; social. [Archaic] Feltham.

Con*vert" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Converted; p. pr. & vb. n. Converting.] [L. convertere, - versum; con- + vertere to turn: cf. F. convertir. See Verse.] 1. To cause to turn; to turn. [Obs.]

O, which way shall I first convert myself? B. Jonson.

2. To change or turn from one state or condition to another; to alter in form, substance, or quality; to transform; to transmute; as, to convert water into ice.

If the whole atmosphere were converted into water. T. Burnet.

That still lessens The sorrow, and converts it nigh to joy. Milton.

3. To change or turn from one belief or course to another, as from one religion to another or from one party or sect to another.

No attempt was made to convert the Moslems. Prescott.

4. To produce the spiritual change called conversion in (any one); to turn from a bad life to a good one; to change the heart and moral character of (any one) from the controlling power of sin to that of holiness.

He which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death. Lames v. 20.

5. To apply to any use by a diversion from the proper or intended use; to appropriate dishonestly or illegally.

When a bystander took a coin to get it changed, and converted it, [it was] held no larceny. Cooley.

6. To exchange for some specified equivalent; as, to convert goods into money.

7. (Logic) To change (one proposition) into another, so that what was the subject of the first becomes the predicate of the second.

8. To turn into another language; to translate. [Obs.]

Which story . . . Catullus more elegantly converted. B. Jonson.

Converted guns, cast-iron guns lined with wrought-iron or steel tubes. Farrow. -- Converting furnace (Steel Manuf.), a furnace in which wrought iron is converted into steel by cementation.

Syn. -- To change; turn; transmute; appropriate.

Con*vert", v. i. To be turned or changed in character or direction; to undergo a change, physically or morally.

If Nebo had had the preaching that thou hast, they [the Neboites] would have converted. Latimer.

A red dust which converth into worms. Sandys.

The public hope And eye to thee converting. Thomson.

Con"vert (?), n. 1. A person who is converted from one opinion or practice to another; a person who is won over to, or heartily embraces, a creed, religious system, or party, in which he has not previously believed; especially, one who turns from the controlling power of sin to that of holiness, or from unbelief to Christianity.

The Jesuits did not persuade the converts to lay aside the use of images. Bp. Stillingfleet.

2. A lay friar or brother, permitted to enter a monastery for the service of the house, but without orders, and not allowed to sing in the choir.

Syn. -- Proselyte; neophyte. -- Convert, Proselyte, Pervert. A convert is one who turns from what he believes to have been a decided error of faith or practice. Such a change may relate to religion, politics, or other subjects. properly considered, it is not confined to speculation alone, but affects the whole current of one's feelings and the tenor of his actions. As such a change carries with it the appearance of sincerity, the term convert is usually taken in a good sense. Proselyte is a term of more ambiguous use and application. It was first applied to an adherent of one religious system who had transferred himself externally to some other religious system; and is also applied to one who makes a similar transfer in respect to systems of philosophy or speculation. The term has little or no reference to the state of the heart. Pervert is a term of recent origin, designed to express the contrary of convert, and to stigmatize a person as drawn off perverted from the true faith. It has been more particulary applied by members of the Church of England to those who have joined the Roman Catholic Church.

Con`ver*tend" (?), n. [L. convertenus to be converted.] (Logic) Any proposition which is subject to the process of conversion; -- so called in its relation to itself as converted, after which process it is termed the converse. See Converse, n. (Logic).

Con*vert"er (?), n. 1. One who converts; one who makes converts.

2. (Steel Manuf.) A retort, used in the Bessemer process, in which molten cast iron is decarburized and converted into steel by a blast of air forced through the liquid metal.

Con*vert`i*bil"i*ty (?), n. The condition or quality of being convertible; capability of being exchanged; convertibleness.

The mutual convertibility of land into money, and of money into land. Burke.

Con*vert"i*ble (?), a. [L. convertibilis: cf. F. convertible.] 1. Capable of being converted; susceptible of change; transmutable; transformable.

Minerals are not convertible into another species, though of the same genus. Harvey.

2. Capable of being exchanged or interchanged; reciprocal; interchangeable.

So long as we are in the regions of nature, miraculous and improbable, miraculous and incredible, may be allowed to remain convertible terms. Trench.

Con*vert"i*ble*ness (?), n. The state of being convertible; convertibility.

Con*vert"i*bly, adv. In a convertible manner.

Con"vert*ite (?), n. [Cf. It. convertito, p. p. of convertire to convert.] A convert. [Obs.] Shak.

Con"vex (?), a. [L. convexus vaulted, arched, convex, concave, fr. convehere to bring together: cf. F. convexe. See Vehicle.] Rising or swelling into a spherical or rounded form; regularly protuberant or bulging; -- said of a spherical surface or curved line when viewed from without, in opposition to concave.

Drops of water naturally form themselves into figures with a convex surface. Whewell.

Double convex, convex on both sides; convexo-convex.

Con"vex, n. A convex body or surface.

Half heaven's convex glitters with the flame. Tickell.

&fist; This word was often pronounced con-vex' by early writers, as by Milton, and occasionally by later poets.

Con"vexed (? or ?), a. Made convex; protuberant in a spherical form. Sir T. Browne.

Con*vex"ed*ly (?), adv. In a convex form; convexly. Sir T. Browne.

Con*vex"ed*ness, n. Convexity.

Con*vex"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Convexities (#). [L. convexitas: cf. F. convexitÚ.] The state of being convex; the exterior surface of a convex body; roundness.

A smooth, uniform convexity and rotundity of a globe. Bentley.

Con"vex*ly (?), adv. In a convex form; as, a body convexly shaped.

Con"vex*ness, n. The state of being convex; convexity.

Con*vex"o-con"cave (?or ?), a. Convex on one side, and concave on the other. The curves of the convex and concave sides may be alike or may be different. See Meniscus.

Con*vex"o-con"vex (?), a. Convex on both sides; double convex. See under Convex, a.

Con*vex"o-plane` (?), a. Convex on one side, and flat on the other; plano- convex.

Con*vey" (k&obreve;n*v&/amacr;"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Conveyed (- vād"); p. pr. & vb. n. Conveying.] [OF. conveir, convoier, to escort, convoy, F. convoyer, LL. conviare, fr. L. con- + via way. See Viaduct, Voyage, and cf. Convoy.] 1. To carry from one place to another; to bear or transport.

I will convey them by sea in floats. 1 Kings v. 9.

Convey me to my bed, then to my grave. Shak.

2. To cause to pass from one place or person to another; to serve as a medium in carrying (anything) from one place or person to another; to transmit; as, air conveys sound; words convey ideas.

3. To transfer or deliver to another; to make over, as property; more strictly (Law), to transfer (real estate) or pass (a title to real estate) by a sealed writing.

The Earl of Desmond . . . secretly conveyed all his lands to feoffees in trust. Spenser.

4. To impart or communicate; as, to convey an impression; to convey information.

Men fill one another's heads with noise and sound, but convey not thereby their thoughts. Locke.

5. To manage with privacy; to carry out. [Obs.]

I . . . will convey the business as I shall find means. Shak.

6. To carry or take away secretly; to steal; to thieve. [Obs.]

7. To accompany; to convoy. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Syn. -- To carry; transport; bear; transmit; transfer.

Con*vey", v. i. To play the thief; to steal. [Cant]

But as I am Crack, I will convey, crossbite, and cheat upon Simplicius. Marston.

Con*vey"a*ble (k&obreve;n*v&/amacr;"&adot;*b'l), a. Capable of being conveyed or transferred. Burke.

Con*vey"ance (k&obreve;n*v&/amacr;"ans), n. 1. The act of conveying, carrying, or transporting; carriage.

The long journey was to be performed on horseback, -- the only sure mode of conveyance. Prescott.

Following the river downward, there is conveyance into the countries named in the text. Sir W. Raleigh.

2. The instrument or means of carrying or transporting anything from place to place; the vehicle in which, or means by which, anything is carried from one place to another; as, stagecoaches, omnibuses, etc., are conveyances; a canal or aqueduct is a conveyance for water.

These pipes and these conveyances of our blood. Shak.

3. The act or process of transferring, transmitting, handing down, or communicating; transmission.

Tradition is no infallible way of conveyance. Stillingfleet.

4. (Law) The act by which the title to property, esp. real estate, is transferred; transfer of ownership; an instrument in writing (as a deed or mortgage), by which the title to property is conveyed from one person to another.

[He] found the conveyances in law to be so firm, that in justice he must decree the land to the earl. Clarendon.

5. Dishonest management, or artifice. [Obs.]

the very Jesuits themselves . . . can not possibly devise any juggling conveyance how to shift it off. Hakewill.

Con*vey"an*cer (k&obreve;n*v&/amacr;"an*s&etilde;r), n. (Law) One whose business is to draw up conveyances of property, as deeds, mortgages, leases, etc. Burrill.

Con*vey"an*cing (?), n. (Law) The business of a conveyancer; the act or business of drawing deeds, leases, or other writings, for transferring the title to property from one person to another.

Con*vey"er (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, conveys or carries, transmits or transfers.

2. One given to artifices or secret practices; a juggler; a cheat; a thief. [Obs.] Shak.

Con*vey"or (?), n. (Mach.) A contrivance for carrying objects from place to place; esp., one for conveying grain, coal, etc., -- as a spiral or screw turning in a pipe or trough, an endless belt with buckets, or a truck running along a rope.

Con*vi"ci*ate, v. i. [L. conviciatus, p. p. of conviciari to revile, fr. convicium loud reproach.] To utter reproaches; to raise a clamor; to rail. [Obs.]

To conviciate instead of accusing. Laud.

Con`vi*cin"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Convicinities (&?;). Immediate vicinity; neighborhood.

The convicinity and contiguity of the two parishes. T. Warton.

Con*vi"cious (?), a. Expressing reproach; abusive; railing; taunting. [Obs.] "Convicious words." Queen Elizabeth (1559).

Con*vict" (k&obreve;n*v&ibreve;kt"), p. a. [L. convictus, p. p. of convincere to convict, prove. See Convice.] Proved or found guilty; convicted. [Obs.] Shak.

Convict by flight, and rebel to all law. Milton.

Con"vict (k&obreve;n"v&ibreve;kt), n. 1. A person proved guilty of a crime alleged against him; one legally convicted or sentenced to punishment for some crime.

2. A criminal sentenced to penal servitude.

Syn. -- Malefactor; culprit; felon; criminal.

Con*vict" (k&obreve;n*v&ibreve;kt"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Convicted; p. pr. & vb. n. Convicting.] 1. To prove or find guilty of an offense or crime charged; to pronounce guilty, as by legal decision, or by one's conscience.

He [Baxter] . . . had been convicted by a jury. Macaulay.

They which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one. John viii. 9.

2. To prove or show to be false; to confute; to refute. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

3. To demonstrate by proof or evidence; to prove.

Imagining that these proofs will convict a testament, to have that in it which other men can nowhere by reading find. Hooker.

4. To defeat; to doom to destruction. [Obs.]

A whole armado of convicted sail. Shak.

Syn. -- To confute; defect; convince; confound.

Con*vict*i*ble (k&obreve;n*v&ibreve;kt"&ibreve;*b'l), a. Capable of being convicted. [R.] Ash.

Con*vic"tion (k&obreve;n*v&ibreve;k"shŭn), n. [L. convictio proof: cf. F. conviction conviction (in sense 3 & 4). See Convict, Convince.] 1. The act of convicting; the act of proving, finding, or adjudging, guilty of an offense.

The greater certainty of conviction and the greater certainty of punishment. Hallam.

2. (Law) A judgment of condemnation entered by a court having jurisdiction; the act or process of finding guilty, or the state of being found guilty of any crime by a legal tribunal.

Conviction may accrue two ways. Blackstone.

3. The act of convincing of error, or of compelling the admission of a truth; confutation.

For all his tedious talk is but vain boast, Or subtle shifts conviction to evade. Milton.

4. The state of being convinced or convicted; strong persuasion or belief; especially, the state of being convicted of sin, or by one's conscience.

To call good evil, and evil good, against the conviction of their own consciences. Swift.

And did you presently fall under the power of this conviction? Bunyan.

Syn. -- Conviction; persuasion. -- Conviction respects soley matters of belief or faith; persuasion respects matters of belief or practice. Conviction respects our most important duties; persuasion is frequently applied to matters of indifference. Crabb. -- Conviction is the result of the [operation of the] understanding; persuasion, of the will. Conviction is a necessity of the mind, persuasion an acquiescence of the inclination. C. J. Smith. -- Persuasion often induces men to act in opposition to their conviction of duty.

Con"vict*ism (?), n. The policy or practice of transporting convicts to penal settlements. "The evils of convictism." W. Howitt.

Con*vict"ive (?), a. Convincing. [R.]

The best and most convictive argument. Glanwill.

-- Con*vict"ive*ly, adv. -- Con*vict"ive*ness, n.

Con*vince" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Convinced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Convincing.] [L. convincere, - victum, to refute, prove; con- + vincere to conquer. See Victor, and cf. Convict.] 1. To overpower; to overcome; to subdue or master. [Obs.]

His two chamberlains Will I with wine and wassail so convince That memory, the warder of the brain, Shall be a fume. Shak.

2. To overcome by argument; to force to yield assent to truth; to satisfy by proof.

Such convincing proofs and assurances of it as might enable them to convince others. Atterbury.

3. To confute; to prove the fallacy of. [Obs.]

God never wrought miracle to convince atheism, because his ordinary works convince it. Bacon.

4. To prove guilty; to convict. [Obs.]

Which of you convinceth me of sin? John viii. 46.

Seek not to convince me of a crime Which I can ne'er repent, nor you can pardon. Dryden.

Syn. -- To persuade; satisfy; convict. -- To Convince, persuade. To convince is an act of the understanding; to persuade, of the will or feelings. The one is effected by argument, the other by motives. There are cases, however, in which persuade may seem to be used in reference only to the assent of the understanding; as when we say, I am persuaded it is so; I can not persuade myself of the fact. But in such instances there is usually or always a degree of awakened feeling which has had its share in producing the assent of the understanding.

Con*vince"ment (?), n. Act of convincing, or state of being convinced; conviction. [R.]

The fear of a convincement. Milton.

Con*vin"cer (?), n. One who, or that which, convinces; one who wins over by proof.

Con*vin"ci*ble (?), a. 1. Capable of being convinced or won over.

2. Capable of being confuted and disproved by argument; refutable. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Con*vin"cing*ly (?), adv. in a convincing manner; in a manner to compel assent.

Con*vin"cing*ness, n. The power of convincing, or the quality of being convincing.

Con*viv"al (?), a. [L. convivalis. See Convive.] pertaining to a feast or to festivity; convivial. [Obs.] "A convival dish." Sir T. Browne.

Con*vive" (?), v. i. [L. convivari; akin to convivium a feast, convivere to live or feast together; con- + vivere to live.] To feast together; to be convivial. [Obs.] "There, in the full, convive we." Shak.

Con"vive (?), n. [L. conviva: cf. F. convive.] A quest at a banquet. [R.] Beaumont.

Con*viv"i*al (?; 277), a. [From L. convivium a feast; con- + vivere to live. See Victuals, and cf. Convive.] Of or relating to a feast or entertainment, or to eating and drinking, with accompanying festivity; festive; social; gay; jovial.

Which feasts convivial meetings we did name. Denham.

Con*viv"i*al*ist, n. A person of convivial habits.

Con*viv`i*al"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Convivialities (&?;). The good humor or mirth indulged in upon festive occasions; a convivial spirit or humor; festivity.

Con*viv"i*al*ly (?), adv. In a convivial manner.

Con"vo*cate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Convocated; p. pr. & vb. n. Convocating.] [L. convocatus, p. p. of convocare to convocate; con- + vocare to call. See Vocal, and cf. Convoce.] To convoke; to call together. [Obs.] May (Lucan).

Con`vo*ca"tion (?), n. [L. convocatio: cf. F. convocation. See Convoke.] 1. The act of calling or assembling by summons.

2. An assembly or meeting.

In the first day there shall be a holy convocation. Ex. xii. 16.

3. (Ch. of Eng.) An assembly of the clergy, by their representatives, to consult on ecclesiastical affairs.

&fist; In England, the provinces of Canterbury and York have each their convocation, but no session for business were allowed from 1717 to 1861. The Convocation of Canterbury consists of two houses. In the Convocation of York the business has been generally conducted in one assembly.

4. (Oxf. University) An academical assembly, in which the business of the university is transacted.

Syn. -- meeting; assembly; congregation; congress; diet; convention; synod; council.

Con`vo*ca"tion*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to a convocation.

Con`vo*ca"tion*ist, n. An advocate or defender of convocation.

Con*voke" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Convoked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Convoking.] [L. convocare: cf. F. convoquer. See Convocate.] To call together; to summon to meet; to assemble by summons.

There remained no resource but the dreadful one of convoking a parliament. palfrey.

Syn. -- To summon; assemble; convene. See Call.

Con"vo*lute (?), a. [L. convolutus, p. p. of convolvere. See Convolve.] (Bot.) Rolled or wound together, one part upon another; -- said of the leaves of plants in Šstivation.

Con"vo*lu`ted (?), a. 1. Having convolutions.

beaks recurved and convoluted like a ram's horn. Pennant.

2. Folded in tortuous windings.

A highly convoluted brain. North Amer. Rev.

Con`vo*lu"tion (?), n. 1. The act of rolling anything upon itself, or one thing upon another; a winding motion.

O'er the calm sea, in convolution swift, The feathered eddy floats. Thomson.

2. The state of being rolled upon itself, or rolled or doubled together; a tortuous or sinuous winding or fold, as of something rolled or folded upon itself. Blackmore.

3. (Anat.) An irregular, tortuous folding of an organ or part; as, the convolutions of the intestines; the cerebral convolutions. See Brain.

Con*volve" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Convolved (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Convolving.] [L. convolvere, - volutum; con- + volvere to roll. See Voluble.] To roll or wind together; to roll or twist one part on another.

Then Satan first knew pain, And writhed him to and fro convolved. Milton.

Con*vol`vu*la"ceous (?), a. [From Convolvus.] (Bot.) Of, pertaining to, or resembling, the family of plants of which the bindweed and the morning-glory are common examples.

Con*vol"vu*lin (?), n. (Chem.) A glucoside occurring in jalap (the root of a convolvulaceous plant), and extracted as a colorless, tasteless, gummy mass of powerful purgative properties.

Con*vol"vu*lus (?), n.; pl. L.Convolvuli (#), E. Convoluluses (#). [L., bindweed, fr. convolvere to roll around. So named from its twining stems.] (Bot.) A large genus of plants having monopetalous flowers, including the common bindweed (C. arwensis), and formerly the morning-glory, but this is now transferred to the genus IpomŠa.

The luster of the long convolvuluses That coiled around the stately stems. Tennyson.

Con*voy" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Convoyed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Convoying.] [F. convoyer, OF. conveier, convoier. See Convey.] To accompany for protection, either by sea or land; to attend for protection; to escort; as, a frigate convoys a merchantman.

I know ye skillful to convoy The total freight of hope and joy. Emerson.

Con"voy (?), n. [F. convoi.] 1. The act of attending for defense; the state of being so attended; protection; escort.

To obtain the convoy of a man-of-war. Macaulay.

2. A vessel or fleet, or a train or trains of wagons, employed in the transportation of munitions of war, money, subsistence, clothing, etc., and having an armed escort.

3. A protection force accompanying ships, etc., on their way from place to place, by sea or land; an escort, for protection or guidance.

When every morn my bosom glowed To watch the convoy on the road. Emerson.

4. Conveyance; means of transportation. [Obs.] Shak.

5. A drag or brake applied to the wheels of a carriage, to check their velocity in going down a hill. Knight.

Con*vulse" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Convulsed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Convulsing.] [L. convulsus, p. p. of convellere to tear up, to shake; con- + vellere to pluck, pull.] 1. To contract violently and irregulary, as the muscular parts of an animal body; to shake with irregular spasms, as in excessive laughter, or in agony from grief or pain.

With emotions which checked his voice and convulsed his powerful frame. Macaulay.

2. To agitate greatly; to shake violently.

The world is convulsed by the agonies of great nations. Macaulay.

Syn. -- To agitate; disturb; shake; tear; rend.