conoscente

Forms

conoscente m or f by sense (plural conoscenti)^[1]

Etymology

It is from Italian conoscere (“to know”): its present participle, used as an adjective and a noun.^[2][3][4][5] Wiktionary takes it from the Latin present participle cognōscentem.^[1] The verb continues a spoken Vulgar Latin *conōscere for Classical Latin cognōscō, formed with co- from (g)nōscere (“to get to know”), a verb of Indo-European origin.^[2][3] Old Italian had the forms canoscente and cognoscente.^[6][7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in Uguccione da Lodi, a Cremonese poet of the early 13th century, where cognoscente means knowing, able to tell good from evil: lo ben e 'l mal, don eu son cognoscente.^[6][9] DELI dates the adjective “who knows” to the 13th century, in Chiaro Davanzati.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian conoscente was above all an adjective: wise and discerning, expert in a field, aware of something, and grateful for a favour received; as a noun it meant a wise person.^[6] Dante writes that a servant who is not conoscente del bisogno del suo signore (“aware of his lord's need”) serves only by his own will.^[9] The adjective survives only in literary use (“aware”) and as an old word for “grateful”.^[10][11]

The noun “acquaintance”, a person one knows without being a friend, is dated by DELI to before 1310, in Meo de' Tolomei, and is now the main sense.^[2][10] In philosophy il conoscente is the knowing subject, set against what is known.^[7][11]

Timeline

• Early 13th century – Uguccione da Lodi uses cognoscente “knowing”.^[6]
• 13th century – Chiaro Davanzati uses conoscente “who knows”.^[2]
• Before 1310 – Meo de' Tolomei uses it as a noun, “acquaintance”.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. An acquaintance: a person one knows, without being a close friend: Alla festa c'erano più conoscenti che amici.^[10][4][12]
2. (philosophy) The knowing subject.^[10][4][11]

Adjective

1. (literary) aware, conscious.^[10][4][11]
2. (obsolete) grateful, thankful.^[10][4][12]

Related words

• conoscere
• conoscenza
• riconoscente
• Latin cognōscō

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
5. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
7. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
8. ^ Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
9. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 3, 573
10. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
11. ^ a b c d Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
12. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse