What is the Latin word for learn?

The usual Latin words for “learn” are discō, cognōscō, liber; also trādō, īnfīgō, ars. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“learn” in Latin

discōto learn; to teach; to study, practice cognōscōto learn, to get to know; to be acquainted (with someone), recognize, apprehend; to know, perceive, understand liberbook; the inner bark of a tree trādōto hand over, give up, deliver, transmit, surrender; impart; entrust, confide; to leave behind, bequeath; to give up or īnfīgōto fasten, fix, implant arsart, skill, craft, handicraft; trade, occupation, employment; cunning, artifice, fraud, stratagem linguathe tongue; a tongue, utterance, language, speech addiscōto learn in addition to or further; to be informed, hear, learn

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

learn v.

discere (general term): ☞ ediscere, in this sense is poetical: cognoscere (to endeavor to gain an insight into): to learn by heart, ad verbum ediscere (librum, versus, etc.); memoriae mandare, tradere, infigere: to learn an art, a language, etc., artem, linguam, etc., discere (☞ not ediscere): to learn accurately or thoroughly, peruiscere: to be still learning (in addition), addiscere (☞ never = to learn): to learn quickly, celeriter arripere aliquid: to learn slowly, tarde percipere aliquid: to learn anything from or of anyone, discere aliquid ab aliquo or apud aliquem: to be quick at learning, facilem cognitionem habere; facilem esse addiscendum: to have learnt anything, aliquid didicisse, aliquid cognitum or perceptum habere (to have attained a knowledge of); doctum esse aliquid (to have been taught anything): I never leave you without having learned something, numquam accedo, quin abs te doctior abeam. ☞ To learn, followed by an infinitive when employed as an expletive, is frequently omitted in Latin; as, he did this that they might learn to fear him, fecit hoc, ut euin revererentur.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for learn?: The usual Latin words for “learn” are discō, cognōscō, liber; also trādō, īnfīgō, ars. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.