# recognise

Pronunciation: say "REK-uhg-nyz" /ˈɹɛkənaɪz/

## Verb

1. To identify someone or something you see, hear or meet now as one you have known or come across before.
   - Simple: To know who someone is or what something is because you have seen or heard them before.
   - _Would you recognise the man if you saw him again?_
   - _She recognised the tune within the first few notes._
2. To accept that something is the case, or to regard someone or something as being of a certain kind or quality.
   - Simple: To accept that something is true, or to see someone or something as being a certain way.
   - _Her early novels are now widely recognised as classics._
   - _We recognise that the changes will be difficult for some staff._
3. To accept that something exists or is lawful, or to treat it as valid and deserving attention.
   - Simple: To accept that something exists or is legal, or to treat it as worth taking seriously.
   - _Several countries refused to recognise the new government._
   - _After a long dispute, the company recognised the union and began pay talks._
4. To perceive what something really is, or to see the qualities it has.
   - Simple: To understand what something really is, or notice the qualities it has.
   - _Few people recognised the danger until the river had already burst its banks._
   - _A good coach can recognise real talent in a player of eight or nine._
5. To honour someone or their work formally, for example with an award or official praise.
   - Simple: To thank or praise someone officially, for example by giving them a prize.
   - _The nurse was recognised for her bravery with a medal from the hospital trust._
   - _The awards recognise teachers who go far beyond what their job demands._

## Verb

6. To look over or examine something a second time. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To look carefully at something again.
7. To reconnoitre: to explore or inspect an area, as scouts do, to gain information. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To go ahead and look carefully at an area, like soldiers do before a battle.

## Other meanings

- (verb) To be able to bind to a particular antigen, as an antibody does.

## Origin

English had the word by the late 14th century, when it was first used in a legal sense. It was taken from Middle French reconoistre, a verb already found in Old French, which goes back to Latin recognoscere. It pushed out the native English verb acknow (“to recognise, perceive as”). Latin also had a rare verb, recognizare, meaning “to try by jury”.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/recognise (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).