A Latin word meaning ‘to learn’ gives rise to the English word roots cogn and conn.
We have much to ‘learn’ in this post, which may take some cognition on your part, or mental process of ‘learning.’
When a person recognizes another, he gets to ‘learn’ about her ‘again,’ since he has presumably met her before. The more we are cognizant, or ‘learned’ about our acquaintances, the more we continue to ‘learn’ about them.
If you possess precognition, or ‘foreknowledge,’ you have ‘learned’ something ‘before’ most people would be able to, for you can foretell the future.
Are you a cognoscente of French cuisine, ‘having learned’ all the ins and outs of haute cuisine? Or might you be a connoisseur of sushi, ‘knowing’ much of its fishy art?
A typical military maneuver is to reconnoiter an area, ‘learning’ a little about it ‘beforehand’ in order to be more prepared when going there. This act usually involves a spy sneaking in incognito, or ‘not learned’ about by anyone. The spy gathers information in this reconnaissance mission, where things are ‘learned about before’ the whole army goes in to attack.
Your cognitive or ‘learning’ cogs are now well greased, having been much enhanced by your handy recognition of the word root cogn.
- cognition: ‘learning’ process
- recognize: ‘learn again’
- cognizant: ‘learned’
- precognition: ‘learning beforehand’
- cognoscenti: those ‘having learned’
- connoisseur: one who has ‘learned’
- reconnoiter: ‘learn beforehand’
- incognito: ‘not learned’ about by others
- reconnaissance: a ‘learning about before’
- cognitive: ‘pertaining to learning’