Reconnoiter
/ˌriː.kəˈnɔɪ.tər/noun
To make a preliminary survey or investigation, especially of an area.
Did you know?Reconnoiter entered English through French military usage, ultimately from a Latin root meaning 'to know again,' turning knowledge itself into a tactical weapon.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵneh₃-
“to know”
Latin
Latin
cognōscere
“to get to know, learn, become acquainted with”
Old French
Old French
reconnoistre
“to recognize, know again; later, to scout out”
16th–17th Century
French/English
reconnoître / reconnoiter
“to recognize; to inspect or survey beforehand, especially for military purposes”
Modern English
English
reconnoiter
“to make a preliminary survey or investigation, especially for military purposes”