ignorare

Ignorare is a Latin verb that means to be ignorant of something or to not know; in Late Latin and in the Romance languages the term broadened to include the sense “to ignore” in the sense of disregarding or paying no attention to something. The verb belongs to the first conjugation and appears in a range of tenses, voices, and moods like other Latin verbs.

Etymology: Ignorare derives from the Latin prefix in- meaning “not” plus a root related to knowing, from the gnō- family (as in cognoscere, gnoscere). It is etymologically linked to the English word ignore, via Old French ignorer. The related noun ignorantia means “ignorance.”

Grammatical notes and usage: In Latin, ignorāre primarily means “to be ignorant of” or “to not know,” but it can also carry the sense of “to ignore” in the modern English sense of disregarding something. It can take a direct object referring to the thing not known or noticed, and it participates in subordinate clauses in typical Latin syntax.

Romance and other languages: The family of Latin descendants uses cognates such as Spanish ignorar, Italian ignorare, French ignorer, Portuguese ignorar, and Romanian ignora, all of which cover senses of “to ignore” or “to be unaware of.” In English, the word ignore and related forms trace back to the same Latin line through Old French.

See also: Ignorance; Ignorant.