cognosco

Italian

Verb

cognosco

1. (obsolete) first-person singular present indicative of cognoscere

Latin

Alternative forms

• conōscō (Late Latin)

Etymology

From con- (prefix indicating completion) +‎ gnōscō (“to know”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /koɡˈnoːs.koː/, [kɔŋˈnoːs̠koː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /koɲˈɲos.ko/, [koɲˈɲɔsko]

Verb

cognōscō (present infinitive cognōscere, perfect active cognōvī, supine cognitum); third conjugation

1. to learn, to get to know

   Synonyms: agnōscō, inveniō, sentiō, cōnsciō, sapiō, sciō, nōscō, scīscō, intellegō, percipiō, discernō, comperiō, tongeō, cernō, audiō

   Antonyms: ignōrō, nesciō

   ab (or ex) aliqua cognoscere ― to learn from someone

   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico 1.21:

     Eodem die ab exploratoribus certior factus hostes sub monte consedisse milia passuum ab ipsius castris octo, qualis esset natura montis et qualis in circuitu ascensus qui cognoscerent misit.

     Having been informed by explorers that the enemy had sat down at the feet of a mount about eight thousand paces away from his camp, he [Julius Caesar] sent men to know what the mount was like and what was its ascent.

   • 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Ecclesiastes.3.12–13:

     Et cognovi quod non esset melius nisi laetari et facere bene in vita sua.
     Omnis enim homo qui comedit et bibit et videt bonum de labore suo: hoc donum Dei est.

     And I learned that there's nothing better than to be happy and do good in one's life. Every person who eats and drinks and sees the fruit of work: this is God's gift.

2. to be acquainted (with someone), recognize, apprehend
   • c. 194 BCE, Plautus, Poenulus 1130:

     Giddene(ne)s. "Cognoscin Giddenenem ancillam tuam?". Hanno. Novi.

     "Do you know Giddenes, your servant maid?" "I know her".

3. (in perfect tense) to know, perceive, understand

   Synonyms: comprehendō, dēprehendō, apprehendō, accipiō, concipiō, teneō, apīscor, capiō, complector, excipiō, cōnsequor, exaudiō

   • 86 BCE – c. 35 BCE, Sallust, Jugurtha 79:

     Cyrenenses tardius iere. Id socordiane an casu adciderit, parum cognovi.

     The Cyrenians went late. I know little about whether this event of laziness truly happened.

   • 106 BCE – 43 BCE, Cicero, Ad Atticum 15.17:

     De consulum ficto timore cognoveram; Sicca enim φιλοστόργως ille quidem sed tumultuosius ad me etiam illam suspicionem pertulit.

     I knew about the consuls' imagined fear; our beloved man Sicca told me of course, even if rather disturbed, about that speculation too.

4. to have sex with, (biblical) to know
   • 43 BCE – c. 17 CE, Ovid, The Heroines 6.133–4:

     Turpiter illa virum cognovit adultera virgo;
     me tibi, teque mihi, taeda pudica dedit.

     Shamelessly, she lay with a man as an adulterous virgin, (but) a chaste wedding torch gave me to you, and you to me.

   • 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Genesis.4.1:

     Adam vero cognovit Havam uxorem suam, quae concepit et peperit Cain

     Adam knew his wife Eve, who conceived and gave birth to Cain

Conjugation

Conjugation of cognōscō (third conjugation)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	cognōscō	cognōscis	cognōscit	cognōscimus	cognōscitis	cognōscunt
	imperfect	cognōscēbam	cognōscēbās	cognōscēbat	cognōscēbāmus	cognōscēbātis	cognōscēbant
	future	cognōscam	cognōscēs	cognōscet	cognōscēmus	cognōscētis	cognōscent
	perfect	cognōvī	cognōvistī, cognōstī1	cognōvit	cognōvimus, cognōmus1	cognōvistis, cognōstis1	cognōvērunt, cognōvēre, cognōrunt1
	pluperfect	cognōveram, cognōram1	cognōverās, cognōrās1	cognōverat, cognōrat1	cognōverāmus, cognōrāmus1	cognōverātis, cognōrātis1	cognōverant, cognōrant1
	future perfect	cognōverō, cognōrō1	cognōveris, cognōris1	cognōverit, cognōrit1	cognōverimus, cognōrimus1	cognōveritis, cognōritis1	cognōverint, cognōrint1
passive	present	cognōscor	cognōsceris, cognōscere	cognōscitur	cognōscimur	cognōsciminī	cognōscuntur
	imperfect	cognōscēbar	cognōscēbāris, cognōscēbāre	cognōscēbātur	cognōscēbāmur	cognōscēbāminī	cognōscēbantur
	future	cognōscar	cognōscēris, cognōscēre	cognōscētur	cognōscēmur	cognōscēminī	cognōscentur
	perfect	cognitus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	cognitus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	cognitus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	cognōscam	cognōscās	cognōscat	cognōscāmus	cognōscātis	cognōscant
	imperfect	cognōscerem	cognōscerēs	cognōsceret	cognōscerēmus	cognōscerētis	cognōscerent
	perfect	cognōverim, cognōrim1	cognōverīs, cognōrīs1	cognōverit, cognōrit1	cognōverīmus, cognōrīmus1	cognōverītis, cognōrītis1	cognōverint, cognōrint1
	pluperfect	cognōvissem, cognōssem1	cognōvissēs, cognōssēs1	cognōvisset, cognōsset1	cognōvissēmus, cognōssēmus1	cognōvissētis, cognōssētis1	cognōvissent, cognōssent1
passive	present	cognōscar	cognōscāris, cognōscāre	cognōscātur	cognōscāmur	cognōscāminī	cognōscantur
	imperfect	cognōscerer	cognōscerēris, cognōscerēre	cognōscerētur	cognōscerēmur	cognōscerēminī	cognōscerentur
	perfect	cognitus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	cognitus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	cognōsce	—	—	cognōscite	—
	future	—	cognōscitō	cognōscitō	—	cognōscitōte	cognōscuntō
passive	present	—	cognōscere	—	—	cognōsciminī	—
	future	—	cognōscitor	cognōscitor	—	—	cognōscuntor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		cognōscere	cognōvisse, cognōsse1	cognitūrum esse	cognōscī	cognitum esse	cognitum īrī
participles		cognōscēns	—	cognitūrus	—	cognitus	cognōscendus, cognōscundus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		cognōscendī	cognōscendō	cognōscendum	cognōscendō	cognitum	cognitū

¹The verb "nōscō" and its compounds frequently drop the syllables "vi" and "ve" from their perfect, pluperfect and future perfect conjugations.

Derived terms

• accognōscō
• cognitiō
• incognitus
• praecognōscō
• recognōscō

Descendants

• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: connoschere, connosciri (Campidanese)
• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: cognoscere (Old Lucchese), chignoscere (Gombitelli)
• North Italian:
  • Istriot: cugnussi
  • Friulian: cognossi, cognoši (alternative spelling)
  • Old Lombard: cognosser
    • Lombard: cognoss, cognèss
  • Piedmontese: cognòsse
  • Romansch: cugnuoscher
  • Venetian: cognosar
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Franco-Provençal: cognetre
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Asturian: coñocer
  • Navarro-Aragonese: conyoscer
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: connocer
    • Fala: coñocel
    • Galician: coñecer
    • Portuguese: conhecer
  • Old Spanish: connoçer
• Borrowings:
  • → English: cognosce
  • → Scots: cognosce

Relexes of the Late Latin variant conōscō:

• Balkan Romance:
  • Aromanian: cunoscu
  • Megleno-Romanian: cunos
  • Romanian: cunoaște
• Italo-Romance:
  • Corsican: cunnosce

    Sassarese: cunnisci

  • Italian: conoscere, conósciare (Old Arretine)
  • Neapolitan: canoscere (medieval), canósce (Matera)
  • Sicilian: cunùsciri, canùsciri
• North Italian:
  • Piedmontese: conòsse
  • ⇒ Romansch: encanoscher
  • Venetian: conosar
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: conèixer
  • Old French: conoistre
    • Bourguignon: quenoître
    • Champenois: quenoître, connoître
    • French: connaître
    • Lorrain: conosche
    • Norman: connaître, counaîte (France, Guernsey)
    • Picard: connoéte
    • Walloon: kinoxhe, cnoxhe, conoxhe
  • Old Occitan: conoiser, conoixer
    • Occitan: conóisser
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Aragonese: conoixer, conoxer, coneixer
  • Asturian: conocer
  • Spanish: conocer

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “cognoscere”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume 2: C Q K, page 848

Further reading

• “cognosco”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “cognosco”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• cognosco in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to study Plato: Platonem legere et cognoscere
    
  • to hold an inquiry into a matter: aliquid, causam cognoscere
    
• cognosco in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎, pre-publication website, 2005-2016
• cognosco in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2024), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication