reconocer

Forms

reconocer (first-person singular present reconozco, first-person singular preterite reconocí, past participle reconocido)^[1] Medieval forms include reconnoscer, recognoscer, reconosçer and Aragonese recoynnoscer and reconexer.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin recognōscō (“to recall; to examine, review”), in a Vulgar Latin form *reconōscō remade, like conocer from *conōscō, on the simple verb nōscō.^[4][5][6][1] Corominas and DICCA-XV treat it instead as a derivative of that verb, and the Diccionario de Autoridades also called it a compound of the same verb with a prefix.^[5][7][8][9]

The same Latin verb is Portuguese reconhecer, Catalan reconèixer and French reconnaître.^[4][10][1] In late and feudal Latin the verb also meant “to confess” and “to acknowledge a lord's rights”.^[10]

The Latin verb is formed from re- (“again, back”) and cognōscō (“to get to know”).^[1][11] The simple verb goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”).^[12]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest CDH hit is in the Fuero de Alcalá (c. 1235). A document of 1242 has the feudal sense: reconocemos por uostros omnes e por uostros uassalos “we acknowledge ourselves your men and your vassals”.^[3] Corominas's first record is the Primera Crónica General, about 1280.^[5][7]

Semantic evolution

Alfonso X's prose uses the verb for acknowledging dependence or a lord's authority, for admitting the truth of what another says or a debt of gratitude, and for “to consider, take note”.^[2] Corominas also notes the senses “to confess” in Berceo and the Libro de Alexandre, and “to forgive” and “to thank” in the Rimado de Palacio.^[5]

Covarrubias (1611) gives the military sense “to inspect ground or an enemy position”, and the sense “to acknowledge a benefit”.^[13] Autoridades has “to examine carefully”, “to submit to another's rule” and “to confess an obligation of gratitude”.^[9] The modern dictionary lists the medical examination, the recognition of a new state or government, and the legal recognition of a child.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 1235 – the first CDH hit, in the Fuero de Alcalá.^[3]
• 1242 – a document uses it for acknowledging oneself a vassal.^[3]
• c. 1250 – the Aragonese Vidal Mayor writes recoynnoscer.^[3]
• c. 1280 – the Primera Crónica General, Corominas's first record.^[5][7]
• c. 1495 – Nebrija gives Latin agnosco and recognosco.^[14]
• 1611 – Covarrubias records the military sense “to reconnoitre”.^[13]
• 1737 – the Diccionario de Autoridades defines it as “to examine carefully”.^[9]
• 1884 – the Academy's dictionary gives the etymology and the sense of examining a person to establish identity.^[15]

Meanings

Verb

1. To examine something or someone to find out its identity, nature and circumstances: Reconoció con cuidado el sello de la carta.^[6]
2. To recognize, identify: La reconocí por la voz.^[6][1]
3. (medicine) To examine a patient.^[6]
4. To explore or reconnoitre a place to gather information.^[6][13]
5. (rare) To search, for example luggage.^[6]
6. (international relations) To recognize a new regime or government.^[6]
7. To acknowledge something as legitimate, or someone as having a quality or rank.^[6][1]
8. To admit as true: Al final reconoció que no tenía razón.^[6][1]
9. To be grateful for a favour or benefit.^[6]
10. (law) To acknowledge legally that someone is one's child.^[6]
11. (biology, reflexive) Of two molecules: to interact specifically, giving rise to a biological function.^[6]

Word family

• reconocimiento
• reconocido
• reconocedor
• reconocible
• irreconocible

Related words

• conocer
• desconocer
• Latin recognōscō
• Portuguese reconhecer

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Kasten, Lloyd A.; Nitti, John J.; Gago Jover, Francisco (2002–), Diccionario de la prosa castellana del Rey Alfonso X, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies (electronic edition 2024), p. s.v. reconocer
3. ^ a b c d e Real Academia Española (2013–), Corpus del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (CDH), version 3.1, https://apps.rae.es/CNDHE, p. s.v. reconocer
4. ^ a b c García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. s.v. recognoscere
5. ^ a b c d e Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 2, 176
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. reconocer
7. ^ a b c Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. conocer
8. ^ Lleal, Coloma (dir.), DICCA-XV: Diccionario del castellano del siglo XV en la Corona de Aragón, Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona, Grup d'Estudis d'Història de la Llengua (GHCL), https://ghcl.ub.edu/diccaxv, p. s.v. reconocer
9. ^ a b c Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 5, 523
10. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert, p. s.v. reconnaître
11. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. recognosco
12. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. nosco
13. ^ a b c Covarrubias Orozco, Sebastián de (1611), Tesoro de la lengua castellana o española, Madrid: Luis Sánchez (Biblioteca Wordkers transcription, CC BY 4.0), p. 1250
14. ^ Nebrija, Antonio de (1513), Vocabulario español-latino, Salamanca, ed. Marina Vidal Díez (2007), Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes, p. 406
15. ^ Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 906