ignosco

Latin

Etymology

From in- (“after”) +‎ (g)nōscō (“to get to know”). The meaning developed from “subsequently realise” to “acknowledge” to “forgive”.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /iɡˈnoːs.koː/, [ɪŋˈnoːs̠koː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /iɲˈɲos.ko/, [iɲˈɲɔsko]

Verb

ignōscō (present infinitive ignōscere, perfect active ignōvī, supine ignōtum); third conjugation

1. to forgive, pardon, excuse, overlook (with dative)

   Synonyms: parcō, remittō, āmittō, dōnō, dīmittō, perdōnō, condōnō

   ut sibi ignosceret ― in order that he would pardon them (Caesar, de Bello Gallico, VII, 12)

   • 8 CE, Ovid, Fasti 6.443–444:

     haurit aquās tollēnsque manūs, ‘ignōscite,’ dīxit
     ‘sacra! vir intrābō nōn adeundā virō.’

     He draws water, and lifting up his hands, says: “Forgive [me], sacred things! A man, I shall enter [a place which] ought not be approached by a man.”
     (The Temple of Vesta afire, Lucius Caecilius Metellus (consul 251 BC) begs forgiveness from Vesta (mythology) prior to saving items from the flames.)

Usage notes

Takes the dative form of the person forgiven; in archaic Latin, can take the accusative.

Conjugation

Passive forms are not known except for the third-person singular.

Conjugation of ignōscō (third conjugation)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	ignōscō	ignōscis	ignōscit	ignōscimus	ignōscitis	ignōscunt
	imperfect	ignōscēbam	ignōscēbās	ignōscēbat	ignōscēbāmus	ignōscēbātis	ignōscēbant
	future	ignōscam	ignōscēs	ignōscet	ignōscēmus	ignōscētis	ignōscent
	perfect	ignōvī	ignōvistī, ignōstī1	ignōvit	ignōvimus, ignōmus1	ignōvistis, ignōstis1	ignōvērunt, ignōvēre, ignōrunt1
	pluperfect	ignōveram, ignōram1	ignōverās, ignōrās1	ignōverat, ignōrat1	ignōverāmus, ignōrāmus1	ignōverātis, ignōrātis1	ignōverant, ignōrant1
	future perfect	ignōverō, ignōrō1	ignōveris, ignōris1	ignōverit, ignōrit1	ignōverimus, ignōrimus1	ignōveritis, ignōritis1	ignōverint, ignōrint1
passive	present	ignōscor	ignōsceris, ignōscere	ignōscitur	ignōscimur	ignōsciminī	ignōscuntur
	imperfect	ignōscēbar	ignōscēbāris, ignōscēbāre	ignōscēbātur	ignōscēbāmur	ignōscēbāminī	ignōscēbantur
	future	ignōscar	ignōscēris, ignōscēre	ignōscētur	ignōscēmur	ignōscēminī	ignōscentur
	perfect	ignōtus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	ignōtus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	ignōtus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	ignōscam	ignōscās	ignōscat	ignōscāmus	ignōscātis	ignōscant
	imperfect	ignōscerem	ignōscerēs	ignōsceret	ignōscerēmus	ignōscerētis	ignōscerent
	perfect	ignōverim, ignōrim1	ignōverīs, ignōrīs1	ignōverit, ignōrit1	ignōverīmus, ignōrīmus1	ignōverītis, ignōrītis1	ignōverint, ignōrint1
	pluperfect	ignōvissem, ignōssem1	ignōvissēs, ignōssēs1	ignōvisset, ignōsset1	ignōvissēmus, ignōssēmus1	ignōvissētis, ignōssētis1	ignōvissent, ignōssent1
passive	present	ignōscar	ignōscāris, ignōscāre	ignōscātur	ignōscāmur	ignōscāminī	ignōscantur
	imperfect	ignōscerer	ignōscerēris, ignōscerēre	ignōscerētur	ignōscerēmur	ignōscerēminī	ignōscerentur
	perfect	ignōtus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	ignōtus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	ignōsce	—	—	ignōscite	—
	future	—	ignōscitō	ignōscitō	—	ignōscitōte	ignōscuntō
passive	present	—	ignōscere	—	—	ignōsciminī	—
	future	—	ignōscitor	ignōscitor	—	—	ignōscuntor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		ignōscere	ignōvisse, ignōsse1	ignōtūrum esse	ignōscī	ignōtum esse	ignōtum īrī
participles		ignōscēns	—	ignōtūrus	—	ignōtus	ignōscendus, ignōscundus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		ignōscendī	ignōscendō	ignōscendum	ignōscendō	ignōtum	ignōtū

¹The verb "nōscō" and its compounds frequently drop the syllables "vi" and "ve" from their perfect, pluperfect and future perfect conjugations.

Descendants

• Italian: ignoscere (archaic)
• Spanish: iñocer (archaic)

Further reading

• “ignosco”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ignosco”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ignosco in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.