knowledge

[ nol-ij ]

noun

1. acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition:

   knowledge of many things.

2. familiarity or conversance, as with a particular subject or branch of learning:

   A knowledge of accounting was necessary for the job.

3. acquaintance or familiarity gained by sight, experience, or report:

   a knowledge of human nature.

4. the fact or state of knowing; the perception of fact or truth; clear and certain mental apprehension.

   Synonyms: scholarship, erudition, comprehension, discernment, understanding

5. awareness, as of a fact or circumstance:

   He had knowledge of her good fortune.

6. something that is or may be known; information:

   He sought knowledge of her activities.

7. the body of truths or facts accumulated in the course of time.
8. the sum of what is known:

   Knowledge of the true situation is limited.

9. Archaic. sexual intercourse. Compare carnal knowledge.

adjective

1. creating, involving, using, or disseminating special knowledge or information:

   A computer expert can always find a good job in the knowledge industry.

knowledge

/ ˈnɒlɪdʒ /

noun

1. the facts, feelings or experiences known by a person or group of people
2. the state of knowing
3. awareness, consciousness, or familiarity gained by experience or learning
4. erudition or informed learning
5. specific information about a subject
6. sexual intercourse (obsolete except in the legal phrase carnal knowledge )
7. come to one's knowledge
   to become known to one
8. to my knowledge
   1. as I understand it
   2. as I know
9. grow out of one's knowledge
   to behave in a presumptuous or conceited manner

Other Words From

• knowledge·less adjective
• pre·knowledge noun
• super·knowledge noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of knowledge¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English knouleche, equivalent to know(en) “to know” + -leche, perhaps akin to Old English -lāc suffix denoting action or practice, cognate with Old Norse (-)leikr; know ¹; wedlock

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. to one's knowledge, according to the information available to one:

   To my knowledge he hasn't been here before.

More idioms and phrases containing knowledge

see little knowledge is a dangerous thing ; to the best of (one's knowledge) .

Synonym Study

See information.

Example Sentences

The team, which has been tracking these tankers since the oil sanctions were first introduced, used their knowledge of each ship’s capacity to calculate how many oil barrels they could carry.

From BBC

Sebastian O'Kelly, director of registered charity and campaign group Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, says his organisation receives a “disproportionate” number of complaints about Eagerstates.

From BBC

The advice given to leaseholders who dispute their service charge is to pay up and take the matter up later, or they could face losing their property in a process known as forfeiture - a measure described as “draconian” by Sebastian O’Keefe from the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership.

From BBC

"There is an extremely divergent drift in the available knowledge," summarizes Prof Annika Jahnke, author and UFZ environmental chemist.

From Science Daily

A comprehensive knowledge base is available for environmental pollution, particularly concerning the plastics life cycle.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• ability
• awareness
• education
• expertise
• familiarity
• grasp
• insight
• intelligence
• judgment
• know-how
• learning
• observation
• philosophy
• power
• proficiency
• recognition
• science
• theory
• wisdom