cognizable
adjective
Did you know?
It's easy to recognize the cogni- in cognizable and in other English words that have to do with knowing: cognitive, incognito, precognition, and recognition, for example. They're all from Latin cognōscere ("to get to know" or "to acquire knowledge of"). Cognizable was formed in the 17th century from the root of cognizance, which in English means "knowledge" or "awareness." Cognizance traces to cognōscere via Anglo-French conoisance and conoissant, meaning "aware" or "mindful." Cognizable was used in its legal sense almost from its introduction, and that meaning continues to be most common today.
Examples of cognizable in a Sentence
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 Sep. 2024
Garbarino will be tasked with proving that the DHS leader has committed no less than high crimes and misdemeanors, a rather tall order given the total lack of evidence or even cognizable accusation that Mayorkas did anything improper, let alone remotely rising to this standard.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2024
Rule 23 requires the plaintiffs to prove the existence of a cognizable class of persons who have legal interests in common.
—Thomas Baker, Forbes, 5 May 2023
But the storage unit can make those problems discrete, cognizable.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper’s Magazine , 7 Dec. 2021
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Cite this Entry
“Cognizable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cognizable. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
cognizable
adjective
Note: Systematic exclusion of members of a cognizable group from a jury violates the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution, which requires that jurors be selected from jury pools that represent a fair cross section of the community.
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