ignosco

Latin

Etymology

From in- (“after”) +‎ (g)nōscō (“to get to know”). The meaning developed from “subsequently realise” to “acknowledge” to “forgive”.^[1]

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

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
indicative		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
subjunctive		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
imperative		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	ignōsce	—	—	ignōscite	—
active	future	—	ignōscitō	ignōscitō	—	ignōscitōte	ignōscuntō
passive	present	—	ignōscere	—	—	ignōsciminī	—
passive	future	—	ignōscitor	ignōscitor	—	—	ignōscuntor
non-finite forms		active			passive
non-finite forms		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)

References

^ Dunkel, George E. (2014) Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme [Lexicon of Indo-European Particles and Pronominal Stems] (Indogermanische Bibliothek. 2. Reihe: Wörterbücher) (in German), volume 2: Lexikon, Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter GmbH Heidelberg, →ISBN, page 242