reconnaître French · revision 17347

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 10th century, Passion de Clermont (reconnostre)|origins=la cognōscō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ʁə.kɔ.nɛtʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''reconnaître'''^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French [[m|fro|reconoistre]]; the Académie wrote ''reconnoistre'' in 1694 and 1718, ''reconnoître'' from 1740 to 1798 and ''reconnaître'' since 1835.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ The 1990 spelling reform allows ''reconnaitre''.^(Wiktionary)^(Larousse)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|reconoistre]], [[inh|la|recognōscō|t=to recall; to review, inspect; to revise]], which developed in parallel with the simple verb [[connaître]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(TLFi)^(FEW|10, 155b) It is formed from [[m|la|re-]], with its sense of repetition, and [[m|la|cognōscō|t=to get to know]].^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989) In Late Latin it also meant “to know, understand” and “to confess a fault”, and feudal Latin used it for acknowledging a fief or a lord's rights (1063, 1102).^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ Cognate with [[it|riconoscere]] and [[es|reconocer]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The ''Passion de Clermont'' (late 10th century) uses it of the holy women recognizing Christ: ''Dunc reconnossent lo senior, si l'adorent cum redemptor'' (“then they recognize the Lord and worship him as redeemer”); the same text has the sense “to admit a fault”, of Peter.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the ''Chanson de Roland'' one knight recognizes Roland by his fierce face, and ''reconoistre sun tort'' is “to admit one's wrong”; the same poem has the feudal ''reconoistre sun feu'' “to do homage for one's fief”.^(TLFi) Wace (1160–1174) uses it for accepting someone as lord, and Chrétien de Troyes (about 1170) for admitting that someone spoke the truth.^(TLFi) The reflexive ''se reconnaître'' meant “to confess one's sin” very early, then “to find one's bearings” (about 1165), “to come to one's senses” (about 1276) and, before 1784 in Diderot, “to see oneself in someone”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ The military sense “to reconnoitre” appears in Thevet in 1557, earlier than the 1580s dates (Montaigne, La Noue) given by the TLFi and the GLLF; the navy's ''reconnaître la côte'' follows in 1664.^(BHVF)^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989) In law it came to mean admitting officially the existence of something (1539, ''recognoistre la debte'').^(DHLF 1992) The sense “to show gratitude” (13th century) took root mainly in the derivatives ''reconnaissance'' and ''reconnaissant''.^(DHLF 1992) Madame de Sévigné has ''je te reconnais bien là'' in 1671, and ''il faut reconnaître que'' is recorded from 1908.^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * late 10th century – ''Reconnostre'' in the ''Passion de Clermont''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1100 – “To admit (a wrong)” and “to do homage for” in the ''Chanson de Roland''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1165 – ''Se reconnaître'' “to find one's bearings”, in Benoît de Sainte-Maure.^(TLFi)

+ * 1539 – Legal acknowledgement of a debt.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1557 – “To reconnoitre”, in Thevet.^(BHVF)

+ * 1664 – ''Reconnoître la côte'', in naval use.^(TLFi)

+ * 1835 – The Académie adopts the spelling ''reconnaître''.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|recognize]] someone or something already known: ''je l'ai tout de suite reconnu''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Le Robert)

+ # To identify by a sign or feature: ''reconnaître quelqu'un à sa voix''.^(Littré 1873)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # To [[m|en|admit]], acknowledge as true: ''reconnaître ses torts'', ''il faut reconnaître que…''.^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(law)'' To recognize officially: ''reconnaître un enfant'', ''reconnaître un gouvernement''.^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(military)'' To [[m|en|reconnoitre]] a place or the enemy's position.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''Se reconnaître'': to find one's bearings; to see oneself (in someone or something).^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(literary)'' To show [[m|en|gratitude]] for (a kindness).^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[reconnaissance]]

+ * [[reconnaissant]]

+ * [[reconnaissable]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[connaître]]

+ * [[la|recognōscō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}