English
acknow
Acknow comes from Middle English aknowen ‘to acknowledge’, and goes back to Old English ācnāwan ‘to know, recognize’.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ācnāwan‘to know, recognize’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500aknowen‘to acknowledge’
- Englishearliest quotation 1532acknow
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ācnāwan‘to know, recognize’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500aknowen‘to acknowledge’
- Englishearliest quotation 1532acknow
Earliest quotation: 1532, Sir Thomas More: “We say of a stubborn body that standeth still…”
Every English word from Old English ācnāwan
Today it means
verb To recognize.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English ācnāwan / acknow