Etymograph

English

precognosce

Precognosce comes from Latin praecognōscō ‘to foreknow’, from cognōscō ‘to learn, to 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‘to know’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcognōscō2‘to learn, to get to know’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraecognōscō3as praecognoscere‘to foreknow’
  7. Englishtodayprecognosce3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin cognosco
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin praecognosco
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English precognosce

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵneh₃-Wiktionary, Latin cognosco‘to recognise’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵn̥h₃sḱétiWiktionary, Latin cognosco‘to recognise’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gnōskōWiktionary, Latin cognosco‘to know, get to know’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgnōscōWiktionary, Latin cognosco‘to know’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcognōscōWiktionary, Latin praecognosco‘to learn, to get to know’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraecognōscōWiktionary, English precognosceas praecognoscere‘to foreknow’
  7. EnglishtodayprecognosceWiktionary, English precognosce

Linked words

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

can, know, could, normal, narrative, glory, ken, keen, con, ignore, recognition, ignorant, norm, cunning, narration, canny, prognosis, connoisseur, canna, uncouth, kith, cun, gnosis, recognizance, 82 more

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

diagnostic, gnome, agnostic, 38 more

through Proto-Italic *gnōskō ‘to know, get to know’

denote, annotation, noblesse, ignoble, 32 more

through Latin gnōscō ‘to know’

note, notice, noble, notion, notorious, notation, nobility, notoriety, notary, cognition, acquaint, annotate, 32 more

through Latin cognōscō ‘to learn, to get to know’

recognize, cognitive, quaint, incognito, cognizance, 13 more

through Latin praecognōscō ‘to foreknow’

precognition, 1 more

Today it means

verb To examine (e.g. witnesses or evidence) beforehand.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “precognosce”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin cognosco, Latin praecognosco. 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- / precognosce

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