Known
/noʊn/noun
Recognized, familiar, or understood; past participle of know.
Did you know?The word goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-* “to know,” the same ancient root behind words for knowing, recognition, and even memory in multiple Indo-European languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵneh₃-
“to know, perceive, recognize”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*knēaną
“to know”
Old English
OE
cnāwan
“to know, perceive, recognize”
Middle English
ME
knowen
“to know”
Modern English
EN
known
“past participle of know; recognized or familiar”