Cognition

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kɒɡˈnɪʃ.ən/

Definitions

1. The mental process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses
2. The act or process of acquiring, understanding, and applying knowledge through sensory experiences, reasoning, and learning
3. A complex interplay of mental activities involving perception, memory, and reasoning that leads to understanding

Etymology: Latin "cognitio" meant "knowledge," but it also carried a legal sense: "a judicial examination" or "trial," the act of inquiring into a matter until it was known. That juridical flavour was present from the start, and the word's core idea is simply getting to know something thoroughly. It is built from "cognoscere," "to know," which combines "co-" ("together," or here an intensifying force) with "gnoscere," an older form of "noscere," "to know." That same root sits behind "know" itself, so the word is a close relative of the most basic verb of knowing in English. The Latin word passed into Middle English as "cognicion" and "cognicioun," reaching English in the 15th century. Its relatives followed a similar path, giving English "cognize," "cognizance," and "connoisseur," a word that once meant a person with expert knowledge of a subject.

Synonyms: thought, perception, awareness

Antonyms: ignorance