dissuade is a word

I remember in college I was doing a stupid business-course-based group project (EVERY business course had a group project. It was annoying to no end. Invariably you wanted to get hooked-up with the "older" student. This chick was annoying, no doubt, but she was sure to overwork/co-ordinate and, if you were lucky, bake cookies.) For this particular project we had to write something up, specifically I had to write something up. In this something, I used the word "dissuade." (I shouldn't even quote it because it's a real f##king word!) This one kid is reading it and goes, "What's a dissuade? Is that when you make fun of someone's jacket?" "No. It's dissuade, you know, like reverse persuade."

Now I am not a man of hubris. If you question something that I believe to be true and you're REALLY convinced, you can sow a lot of doubt in my mind (we're talking movie quotes/trivia stuff, not grand philosophies of life). I couldn't help but pause. "Did I just invent a super-cool new word using a commonly used prefix and root? I should think someone had invented this word already, seeing as how it's so convenient." I also began to question my very enrollment in a business major in the first place - it being the most technical business major notwithstanding.

He thought we should remove this esoteric and abstruse word. I declined, though promised to review. Needless to say I remained un-dissuaded.