nosce

Nosce is the second person singular imperative form of the Latin verb noscere, meaning “to know” or “to become acquainted with.” As an exhortation, nosce translates roughly as “know!” and appears in Latin phrases and literature as a direct command or invitation to knowledge.

A common and historically significant expression involving nosce is nosce te ipsum, Latin for “know thyself.” This Latin rendering is a paraphrase of the better-known Greek maxim Gnothi seauton, which expresses the idea of self-knowledge as a foundation for wisdom. The Latin version appears in later Latin writings and has been used in various humanist, philosophical, and educational contexts to evoke the same ideal.

In modern usage, nosce is often encountered in discussions of language, mottoes, and self-knowledge. The phrase nosce te ipsum is frequently cited in philosophy and literature as a concise summons to introspection and understanding one’s own capacities, limitations, and character. While the explicit Latin imperative nosce itself is primarily of linguistic and historical interest, its reception today is largely tied to the broader cultural tradition of knowing oneself.

See also: Gnothi seauton; Self-knowledge; Latin language; Mottos in philosophy.