nosco

Italian

Etymology

Derived from Vulgar Latin nōscum, from Latin nōbīscum (“with us”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɔs.ko/
• Rhymes: -ɔsko
• Hyphenation: nò‧sco

Adverb

nosco (poetic, archaic)

1. with us
   • 1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto XXII”, in Purgatorio [Purgatory], lines 106–108; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate], 2^nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:

     Euripide v’è nosco e Antifonte,
     Simonide, Agatone e altri piùe
     Greci che già di lauro ornar la fronte.

     With us is Euripides, and Antiphon, [and] Simonides, [and] Agatho, and many more Greeks who adorned their foreheads with laurel.

   • 1810 [c. 8^th century BCE], “Libro IV”, in Vincenzo Monti, transl., Iliade, translation of Ῑ̓λιάς (Īliás, Iliad) by Homer (in Epic Greek), lines 284–289; republished as Iliade di Omero‎^[2], 4^th edition, Milan: Società tipografica dei classici italiani, 1825:

     […] chi primiero
     L’accordo vïolò, pasto vedrassi
     Di voraci avoltoi, mentre captive
     Le dilette lor mogli in un co’ figli
     Noi nosco condurremo, Ilio distrutto.

     [original: ἀλλ’ οἵ περ πρότεροι ὑπὲρ ὅρκια δηλήσαντο
     τῶν ἤτοι αὐτῶν τέρενα χρόα γῦπες ἔδονται,
     ἡμεῖς αὖτ’ ἀλόχους τε φίλας καὶ νήπια τέκνα
     ἄξομεν ἐν νήεσσιν, ἐπὴν πτολίεθρον ἕλωμεν.]

     all’ hoí per próteroi hupèr hórkia dēlḗsanto
     tôn ḗtoi autôn térena khróa gûpes édontai,
     hēmeîs aût’ alókhous te phílas kaì nḗpia tékna
     áxomen en nḗessin, epḕn ptolíethron hélōmen.

     Those who first broke the agreement, will find themselves [being a] meal for voracious vultures, as we take with us their beloved wives—together with their children—as prisoners, [once] Troy [is] destroyed.

2. (by extension) among us
3. (by extension) towards or against us
4. (by extension) in our time

See also

• meco
• seco
• teco
• vosco

Further reading

• “nosco”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026
• “nosco”, in Enciclopedia Dantesca (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 1970
• “nosco” in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication

Anagrams

• sonco

Latin

Alternative forms

• gnōscō (pre-classical)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-

Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti

Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₃sḱéti

Proto-Italic *gnōskō

Latin gnōscō

Latin nōscō

From earlier gnōscō, from Proto-Italic *gnōskō, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₃sḱéti. The perfect form nōvī might serve as a replacement for an earlier root aorist from Proto-Indo-European *ǵnéh₃t. The PIE adjective *ǵn̥h₃tós (“known”) should have yielded *nātus, which would have been identical with nātus. It is possible that the full-grade vocalism was introduced to avoid homophony. Cognate with Ancient Greek γιγνώσκω (gignṓskō).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈnoːs.koː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈnɔs.ko]

Verb

nōscō (present infinitive nōscere, perfect active nōvī, supine nōtum); third conjugation

1. (in present, future and imperfect) to become acquainted with something, learn about it, to be aware of

   Synonyms: intellegō, cognosco, cerno, tongeo, prehendō

   • 106 BCE – 43 BCE, Cicero, Tusculanae Disputationes 1.52:

     Cum igitur "nosce te" dicit, hoc dicit: "nosce animum tuum". Nam corpus quidem quasi vas est aut aliquod animi receptaculum.

     Therefore when he [the Pythian Apollo] says, "Know thyself", this is what it means: "Know your mind". The body is of course like a vase, or some other container for the mind.

   1. (rare) to recognize someone, be familiar with

      Synonyms: recognōscō, cognōscō, agnōscō

   2. to accept a reason or excuse

      Synonyms: accipiō, cōnservō

2. (in perfect, future perfect and pluperfect) to know, recognize, be acquainted with, i.e.; in possession of knowledge

   Synonyms: agnōscō, cognōscō, inveniō, sentiō, cōnsciō, sapiō, sciō, scīscō, intellegō, percipiō, discernō, tongeō, cernō, audiō

   Antonyms: ignōrō, nesciō

   • 2 CE, Ovidius, Ars Amatoria 1.1–2:

     Sī quis in hōc artem populō nōn nōvit amandī, / hoc legat et lēctō carmine doctus amet.

     If anyone does not know the art of loving, may they read this, and having both read the poem and been taught, love.

   • Hīc Nātus Ubīque Nōtus

     Born Here, Known Everywhere (motto of the Allende Institute in reference to Ignacio de Allende)

3. (euphemistic) to have had sex with, have ever slept with, (biblical) to know

   Synonyms: cognōscō, sciō

   • c. 84 BCE – 54 BCE, Catullus, 72:

     Dīcēbās quondam sōlum tē nōsse Catullum, / Lesbia, nec prae mē velle tenēre Iovem.

     You used to say, some time ago, that you only ever slept with [me] Catullus, Lesbia, and that you didn't want to hold [even] Jupiter more than me.

   • c. 347 CE – 420 CE, Hieronymus, Vulgate Numeri.31.17:

     Ergo cunctos interficite quidquid est generis masculini, etiam in parvulis: et mulieres, quae noverunt viros in coitu, jugulate:

     Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

   1. (Late Latin, Christianity) to acknowledge, submit to (God)
      • c. 347 CE – 420 CE, Hieronymus, Vulgate Acta Apostolorum.19.15:

        Respondens autem spiritus nequam dixit eis, Iesum novi et Paulum scio, vos autem qui estis?

        A wicked spirit replied to them, "I acknowledge Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are all of you?

Conjugation

   Conjugation of nōscō (third conjugation)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	nōscō		nōscis		nōscit		nōscimus		nōscitis		nōscunt
	imperfect	nōscēbam		nōscēbās		nōscēbat		nōscēbāmus		nōscēbātis		nōscēbant
	future	nōscam		nōscēs		nōscet		nōscēmus		nōscētis		nōscent
	perfect	nōvī		nōvistī, nōstī1		nōvit, nōt1		nōvimus, nōmus1		nōvistis, nōstis1		nōvērunt, nōrunt, nōvēre1
	pluperfect	nōveram, nōram1		nōverās, nōrās1		nōverat, nōrat1		nōverāmus, nōrāmus1		nōverātis, nōrātis1		nōverant, nōrant1
	future perfect	nōverō, nōrō1		nōveris, nōris1		nōverit, nōrit1		nōverimus, nōrimus1		nōveritis, nōritis1		nōverint, nōrint1
passive	present	nōscor		nōsceris, nōscere		nōscitur		nōscimur		nōsciminī		nōscuntur
	imperfect	nōscēbar		nōscēbāris, nōscēbāre		nōscēbātur		nōscēbāmur		nōscēbāminī		nōscēbantur
	future	nōscar		nōscēris, nōscēre		nōscētur		nōscēmur		nōscēminī		nōscentur
	perfect	nōtus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	nōtus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	nōtus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	nōscam		nōscās		nōscat		nōscāmus		nōscātis		nōscant
	imperfect	nōscerem		nōscerēs		nōsceret		nōscerēmus		nōscerētis		nōscerent
	perfect	nōverim, nōrim1		nōverīs, nōrīs1		nōverit, nōrit1		nōverīmus, nōrīmus1		nōverītis, nōrītis1		nōverint, nōrint1
	pluperfect	nōvissem, nōssem1		nōvissēs, nōssēs1		nōvisset, nōsset1		nōvissēmus, nōssēmus1		nōvissētis, nōssētis1		nōvissent, nōssent1
passive	present	nōscar		nōscāris, nōscāre		nōscātur		nōscāmur		nōscāminī		nōscantur
	imperfect	nōscerer		nōscerēris, nōscerēre		nōscerētur		nōscerēmur		nōscerēminī		nōscerentur
	perfect	nōtus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	nōtus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		nōsce		—		—		nōscite		—
	future	—		nōscitō		nōscitō		—		nōscitōte		nōscuntō
passive	present	—		nōscere		—		—		nōsciminī		—
	future	—		nōscitor		nōscitor		—		—		nōscuntor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		nōscere			nōscī			nōscēns			—
future		nōtūrum esse			nōtum īrī			nōtūrus			nōscendus, nōscundus
perfect		nōvisse, nōsse1			nōtum esse			—			nōtus
future perfect		—			nōtum fore			—			—
perfect potential		nōtūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		nōscendī		nōscendō		nōscendum		nōscendō		nōtum		nōtū

¹The verb "nōscō" and its compounds frequently drop the syllables "vi" and "ve" from their perfect, pluperfect and future perfect conjugations.

Derived terms

• agnōscō
• cognōscō
• dīnōscō
• ignōscō
• internōscō
• nōbilis
• nota
• nōtiō
• nōtor
• nōtus
• pernōscō
• praecognōscō
• praenōscō
• renōscō

Further reading

• “nosco”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “nosco”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “nosco”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[3], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to be acquainted with the history of one's own land: domestica (externa) nosse