Advertisement

Origin and history of conquer

conquer(v.)

c. 1200, cunquearen, "to achieve" (a task), from Old French conquerre "conquer, defeat, vanquish," from Vulgar Latin *conquaerere (for Latin conquirere) "to search for, procure by effort, win," from assimilated form of Latin com-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see com-), + quaerere "to seek, gain" (see query (v.)).

From c. 1300 as "to win (from); defeat (an adversary), overcome, subdue; make a conquest, be victorious, win or secure (something)." From early 14c. as "to acquire (a country) by force of arms." Related: Conquered; conquering.

also from c. 1200

Entries linking to conquer

query(v.)

"to question, ask questions; express doubt," 1650s, from query (n.). Intransitive sense is by 1680s. Related: Queried; querying.

conkers(n.)

"child's game played with horse chestnuts," originally with snail shells, 1876, probably a variant of conquer. The goal was to break the other player's item.

In the boy's game of conkers the apexes of two shells are pressed together until one is broken, the owner of the other being the victor. [C. Clough Robinson, "A Glossary of Words Pertaining to the Dialect of Mid-Yorkshire," 1876]
Advertisement

More to explore

conquest
early 14c., "the defeat of an adversary;" mid-14c., "subjugation or conquering by an armed force," from Old French conquest "acquisition" (Modern French conquêt), and Old French conqueste "conquest, acquisition" (Modern French conquête), also from Medieval Latin conquistus, conqu
suppress
late 14c. (implied in verbal noun suppressing) "be burdensome," also "quell, cause to cease;" from Latin suppressus, past participle of supprimere "press down, stop, hold back, check, stifle," from assimilated form of sub "below, under" (see sub-) + premere "to press, hold fast,
subdue
late 14c., subduen, "to conquer (an army, a people, a land) and reduce to subjection," from Old French souduire (but this meant "deceive, seduce"), from Latin subducere "draw away, lead away, carry off; withdraw" (see subduce; also compare subduct). The primary sense in English s
evict
mid-15c., "recover (property) by judicial means," from Latin evictus, past participle of evincere "overcome and expel, conquer...vanquish; prevail over; supplant," from assimilated form of ex "out," or perhaps here merely intensive (see ex-) + vincere "conquer..." (from nasalized form of PIE root *weik- (3) "to fight, conquer")....
invictus
unconquered, unsubdued, invincible," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + victus, past participle of vincere "to conquer..., overcome" (from nasalized form of PIE root *weik- (3) "to fight, conquer")....
victor
and directly from Latin victorem (nominative victor) "a conqueror," agent noun from past participle stem of vincere "to conquer..., overcome, defeat," from nasalized form of PIE root *weik- (3) "to fight, conquer."...
evince
c. 1600, "disprove, confute," from French évincer "disprove, confute," from Latin evincere "conquer, overcome subdue, vanquish...from assimilated form of ex "out" (see ex-) + vincere "to overcome" (from nasalized form of PIE root *weik- (3) "to fight, conquer...
overtake
"to come up to, catch up with, catch in pursuit," early 13c., from over- + take (v.). According to OED (1989), originally "the running down and catching of a fugitive or beast of chase"; the editors find the sense of over- in this word "not so clear." The meaning "take by surpris
inhibit
early 15c., "to forbid, prohibit," back-formation from inhibition or else from Latin inhibitus, past participle of inhibere "to hold in, hold back, keep back," from in- "in, on" (from PIE root *en "in") + habere "to hold" (from PIE root *ghabh- "to give or receive"). Psychologica
assume
early 15c., "to arrogate, take upon oneself," from Latin assumere, adsumere "to take up, take to oneself, take besides, obtain in addition," from ad "to, toward, up to" (see ad-) + sumere "to take," from sub "under" (see sub-) + emere "to take" (from PIE root *em- "to take, distr

Share conquer

Advertisement
Trending
Dictionary entries near conquer
Advertisement