Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CON'QUEST, n. [Fr. conquête; It. conquista; Sp. id.; L. conquisitus, quæsitus, quæstus, from quæro, to seek. The L. quæsivi, quæsitus, coincides in elements with the W. ceisiaw, Eth. ኀሠሠ. Class Gs, No. 35. The primary sense is to seek, to press or drive toward.]

1. The act of conquering; the act of overcoming or vanquishing opposition by force, physical or moral. Applied to persons, territory, and the like, it usually implies or includes a taking possession of; as, the conquest of Canada by the British troops. So we speak of the conquest of the heart, the passions, or the will.
2. Victory; success in arms; the overcoming of opposition. In joys of conquest he resigns his breath. – Addison.
3. That which is conquered; possession gained by force, physical or moral; as, Jamaica was a valuable conquest for England.
4. In a feudal sense, acquest; acquisition; the acquiring of property by other means than by inheritance, or the acquisition of property by a number in community or by one for all the others. – Blackstone. Encyc.
5. In the law of nations, the acquisition of sovereignty by force of arms. The right of conquest is derived from the laws of war. – Encyc.
6. The act of gaining or regaining by effort; as, the conquest of liberty or peace; a French phrase.