co-gnosco, gnōvi, gnĭtum, 3 (tempp. perff. contr. cognosti, Ter. And. 586: cognostis, id. Hec. 8: cognoram, Cic. de Or. 1, 31, 143; Cat. 66, 26: cognoro, Cic. Att. 7, 20, 2; id. Fam. 2, 11, 2 fin.: cognorim, Cael. ap. Cic. Att. 10, 9, A, 1: cognoris, Ter. Phorm. 265; Lucr. 6, 534: cognorit, Ter. Eun. 933: cognosses, Cic. Fl. 21, 51; Cat. 91, 3: cognossent, Nep. Lys. 4 fin.: cognosse, Lucr. 1, 331; Cat. 90, 3; Ov. M. 15, 4 al.; v. Neue, Formenl. 2, 532; 2, 535), v. a. [nosco].
I To become thoroughly acquainted with (by the senses or mentally), to learn by inquiring , to examine , investigate , perceive , see , understand , learn; and, in tempp. perff. (cf. nosco) to know (very freq. in all periods and species of composition); constr. with acc., with acc. and inf., or a rel.-clause as object , and with ex , ab , the abl. alone, or per , with the source, etc., of the information, and with de.
A By the senses: credit enim sensus ignem cognoscere vere, Lucr. 1, 697; 6, 194; Enn. Ann. ap. Pers. 6, 9 (v. 16 Vahl.); cf.: doctas cognoscere Athenas, Prop. 1, 6, 13; so, regiones, Caes. B. G. 3, 7: domos atque villas, Sall. C. 12, 3: Elysios campos, etc., Tib. 3, 5, 23: totum amnem, Verg. A. 9, 245: sepulcra, Suet. Calig. 3: Aegyptum proficisci cognoscendae antiquitatis, Tac. A. 2, 59; cf. Nep. Att. 18, 1: infantem, Suet. Calig. 13: si quid dignum cognitu, worth seeing , Suet. Aug. 43 rem, Lucil. ap. Non. p. 275, 22: ab iis Caesar haec dicta cognovit, qui sermoni interfuerunt, Caes. B. C 3, 18 fin. : si tantus amor casus cognoscere nostros.. Incipiam, Verg. A. 2, 10: verum, quod institui dicere, miserias cognoscite sociorum, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 27, § 65: aliquid et litteris et nuntiis cognoscere, id. Fam. 1, 5, 1; 14, 5, 1; 14, 6 init. : iter ex perfugis, Sall. C. 57, 3; id. J. 112, 1 al: per exploratores cognovit, Caes. B. G. 1, 22; 5, 49; 2, 11; 7, 16: deditio per nuntios cognita, Sall. H. Fragm. 2, 22 Gerl.: de Marcelli salute, Cic. Fam. 4, 4, 3: de Bruto, id. Att. 5, 21, 10; Sall. J. 73, 1: his (quibus) rebus cognitis very freq. in the historians, Caes. B. G. 1, 19; 1, 33; 2, 17; 4, 30 et saep., so in abl. absol. cognito, vivere Ptolemaeum, Liv. 33, 41, 5, so id. 37, 13, 5; 44, 28, 4 al.; v. Zumpt, Gram. § 647.—
b Like the Engl. to know , the Heb. (v. Gesen. Lex. s. h. v 3), and the Gr. γιγνώσκω (v. Lidd. and Scott, under the word, III.), euphem. of sexual intercourse, Ov. H. 6, 133 aliquam adulterio, Just. 5, 2, 5, 22, 1, 13: cognita, Cat. 61, 147; Tac. H. 4, 44.—
B Mentally, to become acquainted with , learn , recognize , know : nihil certum sciri, nihil plane cognosci et percipi possit, Cic. de Or. 1, 51, 222, Lucr. 2, 840; quod Di vitiaci fratris summum in populum Romanum studium cognoverat, Caes. B. G 1, 19; cf. Sall. C. 51, 16 quem tu, cum ephebum Temni cognosses, Cic. Fl. 21, 51 et saep.: id se a Gallicis armis atque insignibus cognovisse, knew by their weapons and insignia (diff. from ex and ab aliquo, to learn from any one, v ab), Caes. B. G. 1, 22; Ov. P. 2, 10, 1; Phaedr. 4, 21, 22.—With acc. and inf : nunc animam quoque ut in membris cognoscere possis esse, Lucr. 3, 117; cf. Auct. Her. 4, 18, 25: cum paucitatem mililum ex castrorum exiguitate cognosceret, Caes. B. G. 4, 30: aetatem eorum ex dentibus, Varr. R. R. 2, 8 fin. : sed Metello jam antea experimentis cognitum erat, genus Numidarum infidum... esse, Sall. J. 46, 3 al.—With acc. and part. : aliter ac sperarat rempublicam se habentem, Nep. Ham. 2, 1.—With rel.- clause : tandem cognosti qui siem, Ter. And. 586: id socordiāne an casu acciderit, parum cognovi, Sall. J. 79, 5 al.—
II To recognize that which is already known , acknowledge , identify (rare for agnosco): vereor, ne me quoque, cum domum ab Ilio cessim revertero, Praeter canem cognoscat nemo, Varr. ap. Non. p. 276, 9: eum haec cognovit Myrrhina, Ter. Hec. 830: primum ostendimus Cethego signum: cognovit, Cic. Cat. 3, 5, 10; cf.: sigilla, ova, id. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 26, 86; Lucr. 2, 349: pecus exceptum est, quod intra dies XXX. domini cognovissent, to identify , Liv. 24, 16, 5; cf.: ut suum quisque per triduum cognitum abduceret, id. 3, 10, 1; Ov. F. 2, 185: video et cognosco signum, Plaut. Ps. 4, 2, 45: faciem suam, Ov. A. A. 3, 508: cognito regis corpore, Just. 2, 6, 20: mores, Ov. P. 3, 2, 105.—So esp., to identify a person before a tribunal: cum eum Syracusis amplius centum cives Romani cognoscerent, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 5, § 14; 2, 5, 28, § 72.—
III With the access. idea of individual exertion (cf. Gr. γιγνώσκω), to seek or strive to know something , to inquire into , to investigate , examine (so freq. only as a jurid. and milit. t. t.): accipe, cognosce signum, Plaut. Ps. 4, 2, 31.
A Jurid. t. t., to examine a case in law , to investigate judicially (cf. cognitio): Verres adesse jubebat, Verres cognoscebat, Verres judicabat, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 10, § 26; cf. Quint. 4, 2, 21; Dig. 13, 4, 4 al.—So absol. : si judicas, cognosce, Sen. Med. 194.—With acc.: causam, Quint. 4, 1, 3; cf. id. 11, 1, 77 Spald. N. cr. : causas, Cic. Off. 2, 23, 82; Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 48, § 118. COGNITIONES, Inscr. Orell. 3042.—With de : de agro Campano, Cic. Phil. 5, 19, 53: de Caesaris actis, id. Att. 16, 16 B, 8: de hereditate, id. Verr. 2, 2, 7, § 19: hac de re, id. ib. 2, 1, 10, § 27; cf. Quint. 6, 3, 85; 7, 4, 35; 8, 3, 62 al.; Suet. Aug. 55; 93; id. Tib. 33; id. Calig. 38 al.: super aliquā re, Dig. 23, 2, 13: familiae herciscundae, i. e. ex actione familiae herciscundae, ib. 28, 5, 35; cf. ib. 27, 2, 2.—
2 Transf., of critics and the criticising public: cognoscere atque ignoscere, Quae veteres factitarunt, si faciunt novi, Ter. Eun. 42; cf. id. Hec. 3 and 8.—And of private persons in gen.: et cognoscendi et ignoscendi dabitur peccati locus, Ter. Heaut. 218.—
B Milit. t. t., to reconnoitre , to act the part of a scout : qualis esset natura montis et qualis in circuitu ascensus, qui cognoscerent, misit, Caes. B. G. 1, 21 al— Also merely to inquire into , examine : numerum tuorum militum reliquiasque, Cic. Pis. 37, 91 (al. recognoscere).—Hence, *
1 cognoscens , entis, P. a., acquainted with : cognoscens sui, Auct. Her. 4, 18, 25. —Subst. in jurid. lang., one who investigates judicially Inscr. Orell 3151; 3185.—* Adv.: cognoscenter , with knowledge , distinctly : ut cognoscenter te videam, Tert. adv. Marc. 4, 22.—
2 cognĭtus , a, um, P. a., known , acknowledged , approved. res penitus perspectae planeque cognitae, Cic. de Or. 1, 23, 108, cf. id. ib. 1, 20, 92; id. Fam. 1, 7, 2. dierum ratio pervulgata et cognita, id. Mur. 11, 25: homo virtute cognitā et spectatā fide, id. Caecin. 36, 104.—With dat.: mihi Galba, Otho, Vitellius nec beneficio nec injuriā cogniti, Tac. H. 1, 1, so Plin. 12, 21, 45, § 99.— Comp. : cognitiora, Ov. Tr. 4, 6, 28. cognitius, id. M. 14, 15.— Sup. : cognitissima, Cat. 4, 14.