proselytize
Meaning
To try to persuade someone to change their religious or political beliefs or way of living to your own.
Structure
Usage
They were sent abroad to proselytize and establish new churches.
He was criticized for using his position to proselytize his political ideology.
The group is known for its efforts to proselytize on college campuses.
Etymology
The word's journey begins with the Greek prosēlytos, meaning "one who has arrived," specifically a foreigner who has come to settle and, in a religious context, a convert to Judaism. This term itself is built from pros- (toward) and the root of ēlythen (aorist of erchomai, to come). Entering English in the 14th century as "proselyte" to denote a convert, the verb "proselytize" was formed in the 17th century by adding the productive suffix -ize, which means "to make, become, or practice." Thus, the literal logic of the morphemes—"to make (someone) a newcomer (to a belief)"—evolved into the modern abstract meaning of actively seeking to convert others to a different faith, doctrine, or cause.
Analysis
proselyt (from Greek prosēlytos, meaning a newcomer, convert); ize (verb-forming suffix from Greek -izein, via Latin -izare and French -iser).