Talk:know

Distinguishing between "to recognize" and "to be certain of"

This page seems rather anglo-centric in that it doesn't differ between "to recognize" and "to be certain of". Basically all Germanic languages, except English, and all Romance languages carry the same distinction, so I think it's important. It hasn't got anything to do with "language" in general. Somebody must have misunderstood.

I.e. "To recognize" is German: kennen, Dutch: kennen, Swedish: känna, French: connaître Spanish: conocer "To be certain of" is German: wissen, Dutch: weten, Swedish: veta, French: savoir Spanish: saber

This distinction should really be made clear, I think. — This unsigned comment was added by 213.112.113.98 (talk) at 15:16, 23 January 2005 (UTC).

Maybe not "recognize" but "be acquainted with, be familiar with" — This unsigned comment was added by 195.198.149.22 (talk) at 00:50, 31 January 2005 (UTC).

maybe another meaning

What is the meaning of this sentence ? "It knew ups and downs"
I think it means "it distinguished or divided some of them up and others down"
I'm not certain of this meaning, but I took this sentence from an article.

• "It knew ups and downs" means "up and downs happened to it", or "it went through good time and bad times". I agree we should add this meaning, but I'm not sure how to word it, so I've added a <{{rfdef}} template. Kappa 18:04, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Request for deletion

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know

Rfd-redundant on two verb senses:

4. (transitive) To understand (a subject).

She knows chemistry better than anybody else.

is redundant to

3. (transitive, also intransitive followed by about or, dialectically, from) To have knowledge of; to have memorised information, data, or facts about.

He knows more about 19th century politics than one would expect.

She knows where I live.

Let me do it. I know how it works.

You people don't know from funny.

; and

7. (transitive) To be aware of (a person's) intentions.

I won’t lend you any money. You would never pay me back; I know you.

is defined wrong, and is actually just a use of

2. (transitive) To be acquainted or familiar with; to have encountered.

I know your mother, but I’ve never met your father.

Or at least 7 and 2 are redundant. I'm less sure about 4 and 3, but if they're not, then better usexes (and perhaps better definition lines) are necessary to distinguish them.​—msh210℠ 17:49, 11 March 2010 (UTC)

• I think there possibly is some redundancy here, but I am a bit wary about know. It has a lot of shades which are partly obscured to English-speakers because the word covers a range of meanings dealt with by at least two verbs in other Germanic and Romance languages. This page definitely needs an update of some kind. I did quite a lot of work on knowledge not long ago and came up against similar issues. Ƿidsiþ 14:24, 12 March 2010 (UTC)

• Going by the usexes, 7 is not redundant to 2, but something substantially stronger. In the usex it means something like: To be aware of (a person's) intentions to the extent of being able to predict their behaviour. Or am I wrong in thinking this is a qualitative rather than quantitative difference? Pingku 17:03, 12 March 2010 (UTC)
  • I think you are.​—msh210℠ 16:54, 2 June 2010 (UTC)

7 and 2 are both subsenses of 4. You can know (“understand the thoughts and habits of”) your enemy without ever having met them, or some unseen game animal you are setting snares for. You can know (“have the acquaintance of”) some guy down the hall at your work, without having any insight into their personality. —Michael Z. 2010-06-04 16:14 z

I would combine 7 and 2 but not 4 and 3. "She knows where I live" does not show understanding of a subject, just the memorization of a fact. Consider a dog that walks home when left at the park, the owner might say "She knows where I live". That' doesn't mean she understands any subject.— This unsigned comment was added by 98.218.118.100 (talk).

{{look}}

deleted sense 7. kept the other one. -- Prince Kassad 09:06, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

Missing sense: to find out, to discover?

• 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

  “A gentleman!” quoth the squire, “who the devil can he be? Do, doctor, go down and see who ‘tis. Mr Blifil can hardly be come to town yet.—Go down, do, and know what his business is.”

In modern English we would not use know to mean find out. Equinox ◑ 01:09, 18 April 2017 (UTC)

 Done Added cite under an existing sense. Equinox ◑ 18:07, 8 May 2021 (UTC)

not want to know

Isn't not want to know idiomatic? --Backinstadiums (talk) 19:57, 15 February 2020 (UTC)

I don't think so. PUC – 11:03, 3 May 2020 (UTC)

be not to know (British English)

be not to know
British English used to say that you do not mind that someone has made a mistake because they could not have avoided it
‘Sorry, I didn’t realize you had guests.’ ‘That’s all right – you weren’t to know.’
https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/be-not-to-know

--Backinstadiums (talk) 10:31, 3 May 2020 (UTC)

Added. PUC – 11:03, 3 May 2020 (UTC)

before you know it

used to say that something happens very quickly and when you are not expecting it
https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/before-you-know-it

--Backinstadiums (talk) 10:40, 3 May 2020 (UTC)

Added. PUC – 10:58, 3 May 2020 (UTC)

I don't know as I can answer your question

AS conj.
8. Informal That: I don't know as I can answer your question

What meaning of know is used here? Is it a synonym of "think"? Is "as" a synonym of "if/whether"? --Backinstadiums (talk) 16:04, 28 July 2020 (UTC)

not know from A to B

To know nothing; be ignorant.
https://www.wordreference.com/definition/a%20few

--Backinstadiums (talk) 08:32, 27 September 2020 (UTC)

@Backinstadiums: There is know A from B. I've never seen "know from A to B" and can't find much evidence of it. Equinox ◑ 18:04, 8 May 2021 (UTC)

"Now we know (name)!"

Anyone remember this playground taunt? If somebody showed signs of being fond of somebody else (e.g. Alice chooses Bob as the first on her side in a game), you might hear "ooooh, now we know Alice", i.e. now we know whom she has a crush on. Erm... can't find it in Google Books anyway! Equinox ◑ 18:03, 8 May 2021 (UTC)

know from

Not know from (something): To not know anything about something. From Yiddish, heard primarily on the East Coast of the US.
Why don't you just stay out of this, OK? You don't know from running your own business. --Backinstadiums (talk) 11:37, 7 June 2022 (UTC)

If it helps, the Yiddish would probably be something like וויסן פֿון (visn fun). 70.172.194.25 11:45, 7 June 2022 (UTC)

whaddya exactly mean? Backinstadiums (talk) 23:19, 21 June 2022 (UTC)

Usage note

With the meaning experience, an infinitive without to is possible in British English: I have known it (to) be freezing cold in June. JMGN (talk) 19:41, 25 October 2024 (UTC)