Where does “know” come from?
Know derives from Middle English knowen, from Old English cnāwan, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵneh₃-, a root expressing the concept of knowing or perceiving.
know (English): To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be...
Definitions
- To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be...
Ancestry of “know”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | knowen | to know |
| 2 | Old English | cnāwan | to know, perceive, recognise; to know, recognise,... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | knāan | to recognise, to know |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | knēaną | to know, recognise, understand |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵneh₃- | to know |
Words derived from “know”