knowledge

The fact of knowing about something; general understanding or familiarity with a subject, place, situation etc.

Noun

  1. The fact of knowing about something; general understanding or familiarity with a subject, place, situation etc.
    • His knowledge of Iceland was limited to what he'd seen on the Travel Channel.
    • He has a lot of knowledge on the Indus Valley Civilization.
    • [N]ow ſuch a liue vngodly, vvithout a care of doing the wil of the Lord (though they profeſſe him in their mouths, yea though they beleeue and acknowledge all the Articles of the Creed, yea haue knowledge of the...
  2. Awareness of a particular fact or situation; a state of having been informed or made aware of something.
    • He had always intended to visit him, though to the last always assuring his wife that he should not go; and till the evening after the visit was paid she had no knowledge of it. - 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], Pride...
  3. Intellectual understanding; the state of appreciating truth or information.
    • Knowledge consists in recognizing the difference between good and bad decisions.
    • Our ſoules, whoſe faculties can comprehend The wondrous Architecture of the world: And meaſure euery wandring planets courſe, Still climing after knowledge infinite, […] - c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher...
  4. Familiarity or understanding of a particular skill, branch of learning etc.
    • Does your friend have any knowledge of hieroglyphs, perchance?
    • A secretary should have a good knowledge of shorthand.
  5. Justified true belief
  6. Sexual intimacy or intercourse (now usually in phrase carnal knowledge).
    • Every time that he had knowledge of her he would leave, either in the bed, or in her cushion-cloth, or by her looking-glass, or in some place where she must needs find it, a piece of money[…]. - 1573, George Gascoigne,...
  7. Information or intelligence about something; notice.
    • Item, if any ship be in danger[…], every man to bear towards her, answering her with one light for a short time, and so to put it out again; thereby to give knowledge that they have seen her token. - 1580, Edward Hayes,...
  8. The total of what is known; all information and products of learning.
    • His library contained the accumulated knowledge of the Greeks and Romans.
  9. Something that can be known; a branch of learning; a piece of information; a science.
    • he weakened his braines much, as all men doe, who over nicely and greedily will search out those knowledges [translating cognoissances], which hang not for their mowing, nor pertaine unto them. - 1603, Michel de...
    • There is a great difference in the delivery of the mathematics, which are the most abstracted of knowledges. - 1605, Francis Bacon, “The Second Booke”, in The Twoo Bookes of Francis Bacon. Of the Proficience and...
    • There are by now many feminisms (Tong, 1989; Humm, 1992).[…]They are in shifting alliance or contest with postmodern critiques, which at times seem to threaten the very category 'women' and its possibilities for a...
  10. Acknowledgement.
  11. Notice, awareness.
    • Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? - 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.],...
  12. The deep familiarity with certain routes and places of interest required by taxicab drivers working in London, England.
    • There is only one sure way to memorise the runs and that is to follow them, either on foot, cycle or motor cycle; hence, the familiar sight of would-be cabbies learning the knowledge during evenings and weekends. -...

Origin

From Middle English knowleche, knaweleche, cnawlece (“knowledge”), from knowen (“to know, recognise”) + -leche. Related to Middle English knowlechen (“to find out, acknowledge”). For more on the Middle English suffix -leche, compare freelage. Compare also Old English cnāwelǣċ, cnāwelǣċing (“acknowledging, acknowledgement”).

Forms

knowledges knolege knowlage knowleche knowledg knowlege knowliche knowlych knowlech knaulege knaulage knawlage knoleche knoleige knowlache knolych knawlache

Synonyms

awareness cognizance ken knowingness learning knowledge

Antonyms

ignorance

Hyponyms

background knowledge book knowledge carnal knowledge common knowledge foreknowledge general knowledge interknowledge metaknowledge prior knowledge protoknowledge public knowledge reading knowledge red flag knowledge scientific knowledge stock knowledge traditional knowledge working knowledge

Related

know knowing belief intuition conviction worldview guess guesswork opinion view doctrine teaching hypothesis theory assumption inference estimate guesstimate taste preference sense perception sensation observation

Derived

acknowledge afterknowledge a little knowledge is a dangerous thing antiknowledge anti-knowledge beknowledge book-knowledge content knowledge counterknowledge elite ball knowledge ethnoknowledge foreknowledge gendered knowledge interknowledge knowledgable knowledgeable knowledge base knowledge-box knowledge domain knowledge engineer knowledge engineering knowledgeful knowledge graph knowledge is power

Verb

  1. To confess as true; to acknowledge.
    • Then went oute to hym Jerusalem, and all Jury, and all the region rounde aboute Jordan, and were baptised of hym in Jordan, knoledging their synnes. - 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale...
    • 5. The church of Christ knoweth no head, but Christ Jesu alone. The synagogue of Satan knowledgeth the Romish bishop to be head of the universal church of Christ throughout the world. - 1653 October 6, Thomas Becon, “A...

Forms

knowledges knowledging knowledged knolege knowlage knowleche knowledg knowlege knowliche knowlych knowlech knaulege knaulage knawlage knoleche knoleige knowlache knolych knawlache

Related

data erudition information know-how perception wisdom