What part of speech is cognizes?

Cognizes can be categorized as a verb.

Parts of speech

1. cognizes is a verb, present, 3rd person singular of cognize (infinitive).

Verb
cognize - be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about; "I know that the President lied to the people"; "I want to know who is winning the game!"; "I know it's time"