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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

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English

know

/nəʊ/
To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of; to be certain that.

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    Origin

    Etymology 1

    From Middle English knowen, from Old English cnāwan (“to know, perceive, recognise”), from Proto-West Germanic *knāan, from Proto-Germanic *knēaną (“to know”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”).

    Cognates

    * from Proto-Germanic: Scots knaw (“to know, recognise”), Icelandic knega (“to know, know how to, be able”), Old High German knājan (“to know, recognise”), Old Norse kná (“to know how”). Remotely related also Dutch and German kennen, West Frisian kenne (see English ken).

    * from Indo-European: Latin gnoscō, Latin cognoscō (Spanish conocer, French connaître, Romanian cunoaște, Italian conoscere, Portuguese conhecer), Ancient Greek γνωρίζω (gnōrízō, “to know”) and γνῶσις (gnôsis, “knowledge”), Albanian njoh (“to know, recognise”), Russian знать (znatʹ, “to know”), Lithuanian žinoti (“to know”), Persian شناختن (šenâxtan, “to know”) and Hindi जानना (jānnā, “to know, understand”).

    Etymology 3

    Shortening of you know (sense 4)—Singapore English favours pro-drop constructions (Wee, 2003).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • rootProto-Indo-European*ǵneh₃- “to know”
    • inheritedMiddle Englishknowen
      • inheritedOld Englishcnāwan “to know, perceive, recognise”
        • inheritedProto-West Germanic*knāan
          • inheritedProto-Germanic*knēaną “to know”

    Related: Scots knaw, Icelandic knega, Old High German knājan, Old Norse kná, German kennen, West Frisian kenne, Latin gnōscō, Latin cognōscō, Spanish conocer, French connaître, Romanian cunoaște, Italian conoscere, Portuguese conhecer, Ancient Greek γνωρίζω, Albanian njoh, Russian знать, Lithuanian žinoti, Persian شناختن, Hindi जानना

    Words built on it: you-know-who, know-how, known

    Meanings

    verb
    1. To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of; to be certain that.
    2. To be or become aware or cognizant.
    3. To be aware of; to be cognizant of.
    4. To be acquainted (with another person).
    5. To be acquainted or familiar with; to have encountered.
    6. To have sexual relations with. This meaning normally specified in modern English as e.g. to ‘know someone in the biblical sense’ or to ‘know biblically’.
    noun
    1. Knowledge; the state of knowing.
    2. Knowledge; the state of knowing. (Now confined to the fixed phrase in the know.)
    particle
    1. Used at the end of a sentence to draw attention to information one thinks the listener should keep in mind.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: know