*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of known

From Middle English knowen, from Old English cnāwen (past participle). Morphologically know + -n.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adj

Identified as a specific type; famous, renowned. · Accepted, familiar, researched.

verb

past participle of know

noun

Any fact or situation which is known or familiar. · A constant or variable the value of which is already determined.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English knowen, from Old English cnāwen (past participle). Morphologically know + -n.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "knowen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English knowen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "cnāwen",
        "pos": "past participle"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English cnāwen (past participle)"
    },
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "know",
        "3": "n<id:past participle>"
      },
      "expansion": "know + -n"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "knowen",
      "knowen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "cnāwen",
      "cnawen#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "know",
      "know#English"
    ],
    [
      "-n",
      "-n#English:_past_participle"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Identified as a specific type; famous, renowned.",
        "Accepted, familiar, researched."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "657d0528b5fc3aec0f08bfb60c4506dae8247df0c1c2890b89465fd4cd816ec0",
      "rawRecordSha256": "713c97c90a55deded92346df910312cb13ebbdcf247e4d9b08897528c400bb53",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 31347
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "past participle of know"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "participle",
        "past"
      ],
      "recordId": "6a85add567fc6fc1867afa49bb419b0acfa1958493fa72008baa3e459648bd9e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9d5d501f93f50d92be0af3416a7173104be93aaacf13c486931ebe980200aab8",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 31349
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Any fact or situation which is known or familiar.",
        "A constant or variable the value of which is already determined."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "8e9a3ace84ab4488694ab7e5fb42a6be831509ae27d31369cab754fbd96c54e1",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fed955318f8f88120e7c5144626ad7a72160a9a6a16935ee50135821be2f6c87",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 31348
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for known →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-a25vd24