Etymograph

English

recognize

Recognize comes from Old French reconoistre ‘to recognize’, from Latin gnōscō ‘to know’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵneh₃-‘to recognise’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵn̥h₃sḱéti‘to recognise’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gnōskō‘to know’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgnōscō‘to know’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcognōscō‘know’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErecognōscōas recognoscere‘to know again’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400reconoistre‘to recognize’
  8. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1534recognize

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵneh₃-‘to recognise’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵn̥h₃sḱéti‘to recognise’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gnōskō‘to know’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgnōscō‘to know’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcognōscō‘know’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErecognōscōas recognoscere‘to know again’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400reconoistre‘to recognize’
  8. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1534recognize

Earliest quotation: 1534, Thomas Cranmer: “We do moste humbly submytte it [this treatise] to[…]your…”

first attested Borrowed from Middle French reconoistre, from Old French reconoistre, from Latin recognoscere, first attested in the 16th century (as stated in the etymology)

The story

Borrowed from Middle French reconoistre, from Old French reconoistre, from Latin recognoscere, first attested in the 16th century. Latin had rare recognizare (‘to try by jury’).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- ‘to recognise’

can, know, could, normal, narrative, glory, ken, keen, ignore, con, norm, ignorant, narration, cunning, prognosis, canny, connoisseur, canna, kith, uncouth, gnosis, cun, 85 more

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₃sḱéti ‘to recognise’

diagnostic, gnome, agnostic, 39 more

through Proto-Italic *gnōskō ‘to know, get to know’

denote, annotation, noblesse, ignoble, 33 more

through Latin gnōscō ‘to know’

note, notice, noble, notion, notorious, notation, nobility, notoriety, notary, cognition, acquaint, annotate, 33 more

through Latin cognōscō ‘know, recognize’

cognitive, quaint, incognito, cognizance, precognition, 14 more

Today it means

verb To match (something or someone which one currently perceives) to a memory of some previous encounter with the same person or thing.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- / recognize

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