reconnaissance

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the act of reconnoitring (especially to gain information about an enemy or potential enemy)

   An exchange of fire occurred on a reconnaissance mission.

2. 2
   noun

   The act of scouting or exploring (especially military or medical) to gain information.

   The third member, Sergeant Pieter Rousseau, had been with the back-up teams at the Hub; he was an expert on space reconnaissance instrumentation, but on this trip he would have to depend on his own eyes and a small portable telescope.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Reconnaissance entered English in the late 18th century from French and belongs to the same word family as French reconnoître, “recognize.” The family ultimately goes back to Latin recognoscere, literally “to know again,” from re-, “again,” and cognoscere, “to know.”

Borrowed from French reconnaissance (“recognition”). Doublet of recognizance.

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary