Latin edit

Etymology edit

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

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

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 ignosceretin order that he would pardon them (Caesar, de Bello Gallico, VII, 12)

Usage notes edit

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

Conjugation edit

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 edit

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

References edit

  1. ^ 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

Further reading edit

  • 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.