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

  1. To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be...

Ancestry of “know”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishknowento know
2Old Englishcnāwanto know, perceive, recognise; to know, recognise,...
3Proto-West Germanicknāanto recognise, to know
4Proto-Germanicknēanąto know, recognise, understand
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵneh₃-to know

Words derived from “know”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵneh₃- →Every word from Proto-Germanic knēaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic knāan →