Cognize is a back-formation from cognizance/cognition, ultimately from Latin cognoscere 'to get to know', from co- (intensive) + gnoscere 'to know'. The historical trail runs through cognoscere in Latin and gnoscere in Latin. Morphologically, cognize is transparent: a back-formation from cognizance/cognition, ultimately from Latin cognoscere 'to get to know', from co- (intensive) + gnoscere 'to know'. Used as a verb, cognize now means "perceive, know, or become conscious of", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in derived forms such as cognizable and cognizance and related forms such as cognition, cognizant, and recognize. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English.