Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Conviction \Con*vic"tion\, 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}.

   Usage: 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.

Source : WordNet®

conviction
     n 1: an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or
          evidence [syn: {strong belief}, {article of faith}]
     2: (criminal law) a final judgment of guilty in a criminal case
        and the punishment that is imposed; "the conviction came
        as no surprise" [syn: {judgment of conviction}, {condemnation},
         {sentence}] [ant: {acquittal}]