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recognize

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recognize¹

  • /ˈɹɛk.əɡ.naɪz/
  • /ˈɹɛk.ɪɡ.naɪz/
  • /ˈɹɛk.ən.aɪz/ proscribed, sometimes
  • /ˈɹekənɑɪz/ Australia
  • /ˈɹekəɡnɑɪz/ Australia

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Middle French reconoistre, from Old French reconoistre, from Latin recognoscere, first attested in the 16th century. Displaced native English acknow (“to recognize, perceive as”), compare German erkennen and Swedish erkänna. Latin had rare recognizare (“to try by jury”).

verb recognizes · recognizing · recognized · recognise

  1. British, English, Oxford, US, transitive To match (something or someone which one currently perceives) to a memory of some previous encounter with the same person or thing. I recognized his face immediately, although his voice was different.
  2. British, English, Oxford, US, transitive To acknowledge the existence or legality of; to treat as valid or worthy of consideration. The US and a number of EU countries are expected to recognize Kosovo on Monday.
  3. British, English, Oxford, US, transitive To acknowledge or consider (as being a certain thing or having a certain quality or property). Slavery is widely recognized as immoral.
  4. British, English, Oxford, US, transitive To realize or discover the nature of something; apprehend quality in. In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual.
  5. British, English, Oxford, US, transitive To show formal appreciation of, as with an award, commendation etc. His services were recognized in a testimonial.
  6. British, English, Oxford, US, obsolete To review; to examine again. We do moste humbly submytte it [this treatise] to[…]your maiestie, to be recognised, ouersene, and corrected.
  7. British, English, Oxford, US, obsolete To reconnoiter. before the siege was layd to the Towne, of minde to recognize, he fell unawares amongst an Ambushcade
  8. British, English, Oxford, US To have the property to bind to specific antigens.

recognize²

  • /ˈɹɛk.əɡ.naɪz/
  • /ˈɹɛk.ɪɡ.naɪz/
  • /ˈɹɛk.ən.aɪz/ proscribed, sometimes
  • /ˈɹekənɑɪz/ Australia
  • /ˈɹekəɡnɑɪz/ Australia

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Proto-Italic *wre-

Latin re-der.

Old French re-bor.

Middle English re-

English re-

English cognize

English recognize

From re- + cognize.

verb recognizes · recognizing · recognized · re-cognize

  1. British, English, North American, Oxford, UK, US to cognize again

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