"knowledge" in seven languages

Meaningknowledge

Spanish

conocimiento

/konoθiˈmjento/

masc.inherited

Often plural for what you know of a subject: conocimientos de historia.

French

connaissance

/kɔnɛsɑ̃s/

fem.inherited

Italian

conoscenza

/konoʃˈʃɛntsa/

fem.inherited

Portuguese

conhecimento

/koɲesiˈmẽtu/

masc.inherited

Romanian

cunoștințe

/kunoʃˈtintse/

fem.inherited

Plural in this sense (sg. cunoștință), built on cunoaște, from COGNŌSCERE.

Catalan

coneixement

/kunəʃəˈmen/

masc.inherited

English

knowledge

/ˈnɑlɪdʒ/

Indo-European kin · PIE *ǵneh₃-

Know and Latin (CO)GNŌSCERE are textbook Indo-European cousins.

English → ItalianknowledgeconoscenzaDistant cognateRelated only through Indo-European, thousands of years back (night ~ noche). But English has relatives: recognize, cognition, incognito.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

COGNŌSCERE‘to get to know’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Each sister built its noun on the inherited verb (conocer, connaître, conoscere), where Latin GN has melted into n. English know shares the Indo-European root.

English relatives: recognize, cognition, incognito

Learn it

Practice the School & learning deck Quiz a friend on it

In a sentence

esTiene buenos conocimientos de historia.
frIl a une bonne connaissance de l'histoire.
itHa una buona conoscenza della storia.
ptEle tem um bom conhecimento de história.
roAre cunoștințe bune de istorie.
caTé bons coneixements d'història.
enHe has a good knowledge of history.

More words from the same Latin

unknowndesconocidoinconnusconosciutodesconhecidonecunoscutdesconegut

More in School & learning

All School & learning words