Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “denote” come from?

Denote comes from Middle French denoter, from Latin denotare, composed of the prefix de- and Latin notus, the past participle of noscere meaning to know or perceive.

denote (English): To indicate; to mark; To make overt; To refer to...

Definitions

  1. To indicate; to mark; To make overt; To refer to...

Ancestry of “denote”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchdenoter—
2Latindenotarepresent active infinitive of dēnotō;...
3Latinnotarepresent active infinitive of notō; second-person...
4LatinnotoI mark, make a mark; I write, especially in...
5Latinnotamark, sign; critical mark or remark; note
6Latinnotusknown, recognized, acquainted with, having been...
7Latinnoscoto become acquainted with something, learn about...
8LatingnoscoAlternative form of nōscō; to know, recognize;...
9Proto-Italicgnōskōknow, get to know
10Proto-Indo-Europeanǵn̥h₃sḱétito recognise
11Proto-Indo-Europeanǵneh₃-to know

Words derived from “denote”

  • denotement
  • denotive
  • denoteth
  • denotable
  • denotee
  • undenotable
  • denoter
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵneh₃- →