Etymograph

English

notoriety

Notoriety comes from Latin nōtōrius ‘pointing out, making known, causing to be known’, from nōscō ‘get to know’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- ‘to recognise’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵneh₃-1‘to recognise’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵn̥h₃sḱéti1‘to recognise’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gnōskō1‘to know, get to know’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgnōscō1
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōscō2‘get to know’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōtus2‘known’perfect passive participle of nōscō
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōtōrius2‘pointing out, making known, causing to be known’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōtōrietās2
  9. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600notoriété2
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1799notoriety2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin nosco
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English notoriety
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1799, Charles Brockden Brown: “[H]e who portrays examples of disinterestedness and intrepidity, confers…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵneh₃-Wiktionary, Latin nosco‘to recognise’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵn̥h₃sḱétiWiktionary, Latin nosco‘to recognise’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gnōskōWiktionary, Latin nosco‘to know, get to know’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgnōscōWiktionary, Latin nosco
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōscōWiktionary, English notoriety‘get to know’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōtusWiktionary, English notoriety‘known’perfect passive participle of nōscō
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōtōriusWiktionary, English notoriety‘pointing out, making known, causing to be known’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnōtōrietāsWiktionary, English notoriety
  9. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600notoriétéWiktionary, English notoriety
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1799notorietyWiktionary, English notoriety. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1799, Charles Brockden Brown: “[H]e who portrays examples of disinterestedness and intrepidity, confers…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- ‘to recognise’

can, could, know, normal, recognition, narrative, con, ken, glory, keen, ignore, ignorant, norm, cunning, narration, prognosis, canny, connoisseur, uncouth, canna, kith, recognizance, gnosis, cun, 84 more

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₃sḱéti ‘to recognise’

diagnostic, gnome, agnostic, 40 more

through Latin gnōscō

recognize, cognitive, quaint, denote, incognito, annotation, noblesse, precognition, ignoble, 30 more

through Latin nōscō ‘get to know’

note, noble, cognition, notation, nobility, notary, acquaint, cognizance, annotate, 25 more

through Latin nōtus ‘known’

notice, notion, 3 more

Today it means

noun An infamous or notorious condition or reputation.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “notoriety”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin nosco. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- / notoriety

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