conoscenza

Forms

conoscenza f (plural conoscenze)^[1] Old forms include Old Italian conoscenzia, Old Italian caunoscenza, Old Italian canoscenza and Old Italian cognoscenza.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin cognōscentia (“knowledge, wisdom”), formed on cognōscēns, the present participle of cognōscō (“to get to know”).^[3][5][6][1] GDLI calls it a learned word formed like essenza and presenza, but the LEI treats it as a continuation of the Late Latin noun and separates the forms with ⟨cogn-⟩, which keep the classical spelling, from those with ⟨con-⟩, which follow the reduced form the verb has in most of Romance.^[7][8]

The noun lives on in Romansh cugnuschentscha, Old French cognoissance and in medieval Spanish and Portuguese; the ⟨con-⟩ type is wider, with French connaissance (from about 1100), Old Occitan conoisenza, Catalan coneixença, Spanish conocencia and Portuguese conhecença.^[7][9] Sabatini–Coletti explains the open first vowel of canoscenza as perhaps due to the southern dialects.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is conoscenzia in the Breve di Montieri, a Tuscan document of 1219; the form conoscenza follows in Giacomo da Lentini, before 1250.^[3][2][10] The oldest sense the TLIO gives is wisdom: skill and insight in understanding the things of the world and of the spirit, and also the faculty of telling one thing from another.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In the Sicilian and Tuscan love poetry of the 13th century conoscenza was also a courtly virtue, the wisdom of the lady.^[2] Bonagiunta Orbicciani uses it, before 1257, for control of one's own senses and mind, the sense of modern perdere conoscenza “to lose consciousness”.^[3][11] In the Vita Nuova (1292–1293) Dante's caunoscenza is self-awareness, and in the Convivio (1304–1307) wisdom and learning.^[7] In the Inferno the damned say that tutta morta / fia nostra conoscenza (“all our knowledge will be dead”) once the door of the future is closed.^[12]

Machiavelli has avere cognoscenza for a sexual relationship (1525).^[7] The sense “a person one knows” is recorded only in 1825, in Filippo Pananti.^[3] Una vecchia conoscenza della polizia is a repeat offender,^[10][11] and per conoscenza marks a copy of a letter sent to someone other than the addressee.^[12][13]

Timeline

• 1219 – Conoscenzia appears in the Breve di Montieri.^[3][2]
• Before 1250 – Giacomo da Lentini uses conoscenza.^[3]
• Before 1257 – Bonagiunta uses it for control of one's senses.^[3]
• 1292–1293 – Dante's Vita Nuova has caunoscenza “self-awareness”.^[7]
• 1304–1307 – Dante's Convivio uses conoscenza for wisdom.^[7]
• 1525 – Machiavelli uses avere cognoscenza for a sexual relationship.^[7]
• 1825 – Filippo Pananti uses conoscenza for a person one knows.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. knowledge, awareness of a fact: Non ero a conoscenza del cambio di orario.^{[10][4][6][1]}
2. Knowledge of a subject, command; in the plural, notions, what one knows: La sua conoscenza della chimica ci è stata molto utile.^[10][4][6]
3. (philosophy) cognition, the faculty and process of knowing, teoria della conoscenza, epistemology.^[10][4][12]
4. consciousness, control of one's senses: perdere conoscenza, riprendere conoscenza.^[6][11][1]
5. acquaintance, the fact of knowing a person: Ho fatto la sua conoscenza a una cena da amici.^[10][6][1]
6. A person one knows; in the plural, contacts, connections: Grazie alle sue conoscenze ha trovato subito lavoro.^[10][6][14]

Related words

• conoscente
• conoscere
• conoscitivo
• Latin cognōscō

Usage notes

Common phrases are venire a conoscenza di “to learn of”, portare a conoscenza “to inform”, fare la conoscenza di “to meet” and per conoscenza (p.c.) on a copy of a letter.^[10][4][12]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
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. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e f g Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
7. ^ a b c d e f g Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 15, 517
8. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
9. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
10. ^ a b c d e f g h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
11. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
12. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
13. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. Supplement 2009
14. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli