cognizant

the word 'cognizant' originates from the latin verb 'cognoscere', which means 'to get to know, recognize, or become acquainted with'. this latin root itself is a compound of 'co-' (a variant of 'com-', meaning 'together') and 'gnoscere' (an older form of 'noscere', meaning 'to know'), suggesting a process of coming to know something collectively or thoroughly. the suffix '-ant', from the latin present participle ending, was added to form an adjective, passing into english via medieval latin 'cognoscent-' and old french 'conissant'. the modern english spelling 'cognizant', with its inserted '-iz-', reflects the influence of the related verb 'cognize', which was formed by analogy with other -ize verbs. thus, the literal sense of 'knowing together' evolved into the modern abstract meaning of being consciously aware or informed.

Structure: cogn (know) + iz (verb suffix) + ant (adjective suffix) cogn (from latin 'cognoscere', meaning 'to get to know, recognize'); iz (variant of the verb-forming suffix -ize, from greek -izein via latin -izare); ant (adjective-forming suffix, from latin -ant-, present participle ending of verbs)