Cognizable

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒɡnɪzəbəl/

Definitions

1. Identifiable through perception or evidence, able to be grasped or recognized by those observing, and fitting for legal evaluation within a judicial context
2. Capable of being understood or recognized in various contexts, perceivable based on available information or criteria, and appropriate for examination within a legal setting
3. Able to be detected or identified by observation or evidence ; subject to the authority of a court or process in legal matters

Etymology: "Cognizable" is built from "cognize" plus the suffix "-able," so its history runs through the verb first. "Cognize" came into English from Latin "cognoscere," meaning "to get to know" or "to become acquainted with," a compound of "con-" (together, thoroughly) and "gnoscere" (to know). The root is the same ancient idea of knowing that gave English "know" and "recognize," though "cognize" arrived by a learned route rather than through everyday speech. The suffix has a longer ancestry of its own. The Latin "-bilis" and the longer "-abilis" meant "capable of being" something, and they passed into English through Old French, which is why "-able" feels so at home in words like "readable" and "movable." Speakers attached it to "cognize" to produce a word meaning that something could be known or perceived, and by extension, that a case fell within a court's power to hear it.

Synonyms: recognizable, discernible, perceptible

Antonyms: unrecognizable, invisible