conoscere Italian · revision 37628

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 12th century, Proverbia que dicuntur|origins=ine-pro *ǵneh₃-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /koˈnoʃ.ʃe.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''conoscere''' (first-person singular present conósco, first-person singular past historic conóbbi, past participle conosciùto, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old forms include ''cognoscere'' and ''canoscere''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)^(GDLI) Old Sicilian texts have ''cannusciri''.^(TLIO)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-vul|*conōscō|alt=*conōscere]], the spoken form of classical [[la|cognōscō|t=to get to know]], from [[m|la|co-]] and [[m|la|nōscō|t=to get to know]].^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) Wiktionary takes the shorter form as Late Latin.^(Wiktionary) The past ⟨conobbi⟩ continues a spoken ⟨*conovui⟩ for the classical perfect ⟨cognōvī⟩.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ The same verb is [[fr|connaître]], [[oc|coneiser]], [[ca|conèixer]], [[es|conocer]], [[pt|conhecer]], [[sc|connòschere]] and [[ro|cunoaște]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935) The DÉRom reconstructs it with three variants of the first syllable, in /kogn-/, /konn-/ and /kon-/.^(DÉRom) The LEI finds the ⟨cogn-⟩ type in Friulian, Engadine, Old Spanish, Old Portuguese, Sardinian and northern and central Italy, and the ⟨con-⟩ type in Romanian, French, Occitan, Catalan, Spanish and most of Italy.^(LEI|15, 526)

+

+ The Latin verb goes back to [[ine-pro|*ǵneh₃-|t=to know]], with the present suffix ⟨*-sḱé-⟩.^(de Vaan 2008) Related words are [[grc|γιγνώσκω|tr=gignṓskō]], [[lt|žinoti]], [[ru|знать|tr=znatʹ]] and [[en|know]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is in the ''Proverbia que dicuntur'', a Venetian poem of the late 12th century.^(TLIO) In Tuscany the form ''cognoscere'' appears in the ''Breve di Montieri'' of 1219, and ''conoscere'' in Giacomo da Lentini before 1250, with the sense “to grasp with the mind, to know something”.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The LEI orders the early senses as “to learn, know, distinguish”, then “to acknowledge the worth of something”, and slightly later “to recognize a person, to be acquainted”; the biblical sense “to have sexual relations” goes back through Greek and Latin to Hebrew.^(LEI|15, 526) DELI dates “to be on familiar terms with someone” to Dino Compagni (1310–1312).^(DELI 1999) Dante uses the verb for making something out at a distance: ''conobbi il tremolar de la marina'' (“I made out the trembling of the sea”, ''Purgatorio'' I).^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ Today it also means “to meet someone for the first time”, as in ''piacere di conoscerla'' “pleased to meet you”, and in law a court ''conosce'' a case when it examines it.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) The idiom ''conoscere i propri polli'' “to know one's chickens” means to know whom one is dealing with.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 12th century – The Venetian ''Proverbia que dicuntur'' use the verb.^(TLIO)

+ * 1219 – ''Cognoscere'' appears in the ''Breve di Montieri''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1250 – Giacomo da Lentini writes ''conoscere''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1292 – ''Conoscimento'' “knowledge” appears in Bono Giamboni.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1310–1312 – Dino Compagni uses the verb for “to be acquainted with”.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|know]] of something, to be aware of it: ''Conosci un buon meccanico in zona?''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # To have knowledge of a subject or a skill: ''Conosce bene il tedesco.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To [[m|en|experience]]: ''Da giovane ha conosciuto la povertà.''^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # To know a person; to [[m|en|meet]] someone for the first time: ''Li ho conosciuti a una festa.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|recognize]]: ''Con quella barba non ti conoscevo.''^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(law)'' Of a court, to examine and judge a case.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(literary, archaic)'' To have sexual relations with someone.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[conoscente]]

+ * [[conoscenza]]

+ * [[conoscibile]]

+ * [[conoscimento]]

+ * [[conoscitivo]]

+ * [[conoscitore]]

+ * [[conosciuto]]

+ * [[riconoscere]]

+ * [[disconoscere]]

+ * [[misconoscere]]

+ * [[sconoscere]]

+ * [[sconosciuto]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[cognizione]]

+ * [[noto]]

+ * [[la|cognōscō]]

+ * [[fr|connaître]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Conoscere qualcuno di vista'' is to know someone by sight only, and ''conoscere qualcuno di fama'' by reputation.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}