cognition

noun

cog·​ni·​tion käg-ˈni-shən 

: cognitive mental processes

A concussion impaired the patient's cognition.

also : a product of these processes

cognitional

käg-ˈnish-nəl 

-ˈni-shə-nᵊl

adjective

Examples of cognition in a Sentence

disabilities affecting cognition and judgment

Recent Examples on the Web

This type of digital approach allows my team to pursue questions about how everyday behavior and experience influence cognition in daily life and represents a significant methodological advancement in the dementia risk and prevention research space. —Jonathan G. Hakun, Discover Magazine, 6 Dec. 2024

Associated with social cognition, self-referential processing and decision making. —Mark Travers, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024

My cognition, including the ability to finish sentences and remember basic words like milk, declined throughout the day. —Esmé Weijun Wang, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2024

Clearly, our patients are in fact unequal in cognition, strength, coordination, vision, hearing, temperament and disease burden. —Eugene R. Schnitzler, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cognicioun "comprehension, ability to comprehend," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French cognicion "knowledge, jurisdiction," borrowed from Latin cognitiōn-, cognitiō "act of getting to know, comprehension, investigation," from cogni-, variant stem of cognōscere "to get to know, acquire knowledge of, become acquainted with, investigate" (from co- co- + gnōscere, nōscere "to get to know," inchoative derivative from Indo-European *ǵneh₃-, *ǵṇh₃- "to know, recognize") + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at know entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

cognition

noun

cog·​ni·​tion käg-ˈnish-ən 

: the act or process of knowing

Medical Definition

cognition

noun

cog·​ni·​tion käg-ˈnish-ən 

1

: cognitive mental processes

2

: a conscious intellectual act

conflict between cognitions