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γιγνώσκω

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Etymology and origin of the Ancient Greek word γιγνώσκω

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
Homer, Iliad
Inherited from
Proto-Hellenic *gignṓskō
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-
From the same root
Ancient Greek γνώριμος ← γιγνώσκω

Pronunciation

  • 5th-century BC Attic: /ɡi.ɡnɔ̌ːs.kɔː/[1]
  • 4th-century AD Koine: /ʝiˈɣnos.ko/[1]
  • 10th-century Byzantine: /ʝiˈɣnos.ko/[1]

Forms

γῐγνώσκω (gignṓskō) [1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *gignṓskō, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₃sḱéti, a reduplicated present from *ǵneh₃- (“to recognize, get to know”).[1][2][3] It matches Latin (g)nōscō and Old Persian xšnāsāhiy (“you shall know”), and probably Albanian njoh, although these have the full grade of the root, while Greek probably has the zero grade.[3] The root aorist ἔγνων (égnōn) continues an old formation.[2] The verbal adjective γνωτός (gnōtós) “known” corresponds to nōtus.[3]

Other cognates are Sanskrit जानाति (jānā́ti, “knows”), Old Armenian ծան- (can-, “to know”) and English know.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Homer it means to come to know, perceive, and to recognize, to tell a god from a man (Iliad 5.128).[4][3][5] With a clause it means “to perceive that”: ἔγνως ὡς θεός εἰμι, “you have seen that I am a god” (Iliad 22.10).[4]

Semantic evolution

Classical writers distinguish it from οἶδα (oîda): γιγνώσκω is knowing by observation, οἶδα knowing by reflection, as in Thucydides and Demosthenes.[4] It also came to mean to form a judgement, to think, in Herodotus and Xenophon, and to determine; the passive is used of persons judged guilty, from Aeschylus on.[4] Menander uses it for carnal knowledge.[4]

The spelling with one γ, γῑνώσκω, was Doric, Aeolic and Ionic, and after Aristotle it became the usual form.[4][3] In Attic inscriptions γιν- is found from 325 BC, in the papyri from 277 BC, and it is the form of the Septuagint and the New Testament.[6] The verb has a large family, among them γνῶσις (gnôsis) “knowledge”, γνώμη (gnṓmē) “judgement”, γνώμων (gnṓmōn) “interpreter”, γνώριμος (gnṓrimos) “well known” and ἀναγιγνώσκω (anagignṓskō) “to recognize, to read”.[3] Through Etruscan, γνώμων gave Latin grōma, a surveying instrument, and norma.[3]

Timeline

  • Homer – It is used for perceiving and recognizing.[4][3]
  • Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod uses the aorist.[7][8]
  • 6th–5th century BC – Aeschylus uses the passive of persons judged guilty.[4][8]
  • 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it for forming a judgement;[4][8] Thucydides contrasts it with οἶδα.[4][8]
  • 4th–3rd century BC – Menander uses it for carnal knowledge.[4][8]
  • 325 BC – The spelling γιν- appears in Attic inscriptions.[6]
  • 277 BC – The spelling γιν- appears in the papyri.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To come to know, perceive; in past tenses, to know.[4][5]
  2. To discern, distinguish, recognize.[4]
  3. To perceive that, understand that (with a clause).[4][5]
  4. To form a judgement, think; to determine;[4] (passive, of persons) to be judged guilty.[4]
  5. To know carnally.[4]

Word family

  • ἀγνοέω (agnoéō)
  • ἀγνώμων (agnṓmōn)
  • ἀγνώς (agnṓs)
  • ἄγνωτος (ágnōtos)
  • ἀναγιγνώσκω (anagignṓskō)
  • ἀπογιγνώσκω (apogignṓskō)
  • ἀρίγνωτος (arígnōtos)
  • γνῶμα (gnôma)
  • γνώμη (gnṓmē)
  • γνωμοσύνη (gnōmosúnē)
  • γνώμων (gnṓmōn)
  • γνωρίζω (gnōrízō)
  • γνώριμος (gnṓrimos)
  • γνῶσις (gnôsis)
  • γνωστός (gnōstós)
  • Latin nōscō
  • English know

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  6. ^ a b c Bauer, Walter; Danker, Frederick W., et al. (2000), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press
  7. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
  8. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge

Derived terms

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Γιγνώσκω.” Etymologically, 24 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/grc/%CE%B3%CE%B9%CE%B3%CE%BD%CF%8E%CF%83%CE%BA%CF%89. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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