Where does “knowledgeable” come from?
Knowledgeable derives from Middle English -able, from Old French -able, from Latin -abilis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵneh₃- meaning to know or recognize.
knowledgeable (English): Having knowledge, especially of a particular...
Definitions
- Having knowledge, especially of a particular...
Ancestry of “knowledgeable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | knowledge | The fact of knowing about something; general... |
| 2 | Middle English | knowleche | knowledge |
| 3 | Middle English | knowen | to know |
| 4 | Old English | cnāwan | to know, perceive, recognise; to know, recognise,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | knāan | to recognise, to know |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | knēaną | to know, recognise, understand |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵneh₃- | to know |