Gnosis

Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge (in the nominative case γνῶσις f.). In Christian, Islamic, or Jewish mysticism, mystery religions and Gnosticism gnosis generally signifies a spiritual knowledge or "religion of knowledge", in the sense of mystical enlightenment or "insight". Gnosis taught a deliverance of man from the constraints of earthly existence through insight into an essential relationship, as soul or spirit, with a supramundane place of freedom.

Etymology

Gnosis is a feminine Greek noun, which means "knowledge". It is often used for personal knowledge compared with intellectual knowledge (eidein), as with the French connaitre compared with savoir, or the German kennen rather than wissen.

In Latin they simply drop the Greek “G” and “Gno” becomes “No” as in “Nosco” meaning “to know” and “Noscentia” meaning “Knowledge” and “Notus” meaning “Known”. The “G” returns in the Latin “Co-gni-tion” meaning “Knowledge” and “I-gno-tus” and “I-gna-rus” meaning “Unknown” and from which we get the word “I-gno-rant” and “A-gno-stic” which means “not knowing” and once again this reflects the Sanskrit “Jna” which means “to know” “to perceive” “to understand”.