known

[ nohn ]

verb

1. past participle of know ¹.

noun

1. a known quantity.

known

/ nəʊn /

verb

1. the past participle of know

adjective

1. specified and identified

   a known criminal

noun

1. a fact or entity known

Word History and Origins

Origin of known¹

First recorded in 1300–50, for the adjective

Example Sentences

Should the sunset properly backlight a small waterfall known as Horsetail Fall just so, the cascading water becomes a “firefall,” taking on an orange glow that can appear very lava-like.

From Los Angeles Times

Online volunteers known as “sedition hunters,” who use online videos and pictures to hunt for rioters, identified the brand of the hat and nicknamed Mr Williams “RiotingGolfer”.

From BBC

From the late ’60s until 1998, when the Good Friday Agreement wound down hostilities between the Catholic nationalist Irish Republican Army and the U.K.-supported loyalist protestant militias, Northern Ireland was afflicted with the conflict known as the Troubles.

From Los Angeles Times

Bailey lets her displeasure be known by having a friend shave off her beautiful spray of kinky hair.

From Los Angeles Times

The fossil filled a 70-million-year gap in the understanding of how the brains of birds evolved: between the 150-million-year-old Archaeopteryx, the earliest known bird-like dinosaur, and birds living today.

From BBC

Related Words

• accepted
• acknowledged
• admitted
• common
• established
• familiar
• noted
• notorious
• obvious
• recognized
• well-known