Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
proselyte, proselytize (vv.)
These verbs are exact synonyms, the first the result of functional shift from the noun proselyte, the second made by adding the -ize suffix to the noun. Both mean “to attempt to recruit or convert someone to your group, movement, religion, or other belief.” Americans seem to use proselytize more frequently, perhaps because the suffix makes its part-of-speech designation unmistakable.
