gnō-

To know. Oldest form *g̑neə₃-, colored to *g̑noə₃-, contracted to *g̑nō- (becoming *gnō- in centum languages).

Derivatives include know, cunning, uncouth, ignore, noble, diagnosis, and narrate.

1. Variant form *gnē-, contracted from *gnēə-. know; knowledge, acknowledge, from Old English cnāwan, to know, from Germanic *knē(w)-.

2. Zero-grade form *gn̥ə-.

a. can¹, con², cunning, from Old English cunnan, to know, know how to, be able to, from Germanic *kunnan (Old English first and third singular can from Germanic *kann from o-grade *gonə-);

b. ken, kenning, from Old English cennan, to declare, and Old Norse kenna, to know, name (in a formal poetic metaphor), from Germanic causative verb *kannjan, to make known;

c. couth; uncouth, from Old English cūth, known, well-known, usual, excellent, familiar, from Germanic *kunthaz;

d. kith and kin, from Old English cȳth(the), cȳththu, knowledge, acquaintance, friendship, kinfolk, from Germanic *kunthithō.

3. Suffixed form *gnō-sko-. notice, notify, notion, notorious; acquaint, cognition, cognizance, connoisseur, incognito, quaint, recognize, reconnaissance, reconnoiter, from Latin (g)nōscere, cognōscere, to get to know, get acquainted with.

4. Suffixed form *gnō-ro-. ignorant, ignore, from Latin ignōrāre, not to know, to disregard (i- for in-, not; see ne).

5. Suffixed form *gnō-dhli-. noble, from Latin nōbilis, knowable, known, famous, noble.

6. Reduplicated and suffixed form *gi-gnō-sko-. gnome², gnomon, gnosis, Gnostic; agnosia, diagnosis, pathognomonic, physiognomy, prognosis, from Greek gignōskein, to know, think, judge (verbal adjective gnōtos, known), with gnōsis (< *gnō-ti-), knowledge, inquiry, and gnōmōn, judge, interpreter.

7. Suffixed zero-grade form *gn̥ə-ro-. narrate, from Latin narrāre (< *gnarrāre), to tell, relate, from gnārus, knowing, expert.

8. Suffixed zero-grade form *gn̥ə-ti-. Zend-Avesta, from Avestan zainti-, knowledge (remade from *zāti-).

9. Traditionally but improbably referred here are:

a. note; annotate, connote, prothonotary, from Latin nota, a mark, note, sign, cipher, shorthand character;

b. norm, Norma, normal; abnormal, enormous, from Latin norma, carpenter's square, rule, pattern, precept, possibly from an Etruscan borrowing of Greek gnōmōn, carpenter's square, rule.

 

[Pokorny 2. g̑en- 376.]

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