ignosco

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ɪŋˈnoːs.koː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [iɲˈɲɔs.ko]^[1]

Forms

ignōscō (present infinitive ignōscere, perfect active ignōvī, supine ignōtum); third conjugation^[1] Cato has the future participle ignōtūrus and Calpurnius Piso ignōscitūrus.^[2]

Etymology

It is from in- and ⟨gnōscō⟩, the old form of nōscō “to get to know”.^[2][1][3] Wiktionary takes the prefix as “after” and traces the sense from “to realise afterwards” to “acknowledge” and “forgive”.^[1] The TLL reports Wackernagel's comparison with Sanskrit अनुज्ञा (anu-jñā, “to assent”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, “to forgive”.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to forgive someone an offence, with the accusative of the offence and the dative of the person, as in Plautus, and in a weaker sense to make allowances, indulge, as in Cicero.^[2]

It survives in Italian ignoscere.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of indulgence.^[2][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To forgive, pardon.^[2]
2. To make allowances.^[2]

Word family

• ignoscentia
• ignoscibilis
• ignōtitia

Related words

• nōscō
• cognōscō
• ignōtus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de