What does knower mean?
A knower is a person who has knowledge of a particular subject, person, or set of facts. The word can simply identify someone who knows something, as in “a knower of old songs,” but it can also suggest a person with considerable expertise, as in “a distinguished knower of medieval history.” Its meaning is generally more personal than that of the abstract noun knowledge: knowledge names an intellectual state or body of information, while a knower is the person who possesses it. In contemporary English, knower is relatively uncommon and has a literary, archaic, or emphatic quality, so knowledgeable person or expert may sound more natural in ordinary conversation. Even so, the word is memorable because it gives a direct and economical label to someone whose knowledge distinguishes them.
nounA person who knows a fact, subject, or person. In literary or formal use, it can mean someone who has substantial knowledge or expertise about something.
- A person who knows something, especially a particular fact or subject.
- A person possessing deep knowledge or expertise in a particular field.
"She was a keen knower of the history and traditions of the region."
"No one in the village was a better knower of local plants than Mara."
"The young scholar became a formidable knower of ancient languages."
The regular plural is rarely needed because knower itself is uncommon in contemporary English.
"The book gathers knowers of the subject from several generations."
The word “knower” has a remarkably simple idea: knowledge made personal in the form of someone who knows.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does knower come from?
The noun knower was formed in Middle English by adding the suffix -er to know, a word descended from Old English cnāwan. The older verb belongs to the Germanic and ultimately Indo-European family of words associated with recognizing, learning, and understanding. The related English words knowledge, acknowledge, and recognize preserve elements of this shared linguistic history, although their modern forms have developed distinct meanings.
Related word forms
How knower is actually used
Relatively uncommon in modern English. It sounds literary, traditional, or slightly emphatic, and is often used in the construction “a knower of something.”