Pronounced: FEK-luss, adj
Notes: I have read or heard this word, but I wasn’t sure of the definition and (alas!) I didn’t look it up
Yesterday’s word
The word cognize means “to perceive; to understand; to know”
First usage
Our word came into English in the mid-1600s
Background / Comments
We are far more familiar with “recognize” (which I used purposefully in yesterdays “Notes:” – thus, the “heh” comment). The word “recognize” is merely re- (again) and our word. Our word is a back-formation from cognizance, which came from French, and into French from the Latin word cognoscere (to learn).
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 