Word
cognoscente
/ˌkɑnjəˈʃɛnti/
Definition
n. someone who knows a lot about a specific subject, like art, food, or music. They have deep knowledge and can judge the quality of things very well.
n. a person with expert knowledge or discriminating taste in a particular field, especially the fine arts or literature. Often used in the plural to refer to a group of insiders or experts.
Examples
“The wine cognoscente could identify the vineyard immediately.”
“While the general public enjoyed the film for its action, the cognoscente appreciated the subtle references to classic French cinema.”
Examples
simple
“The wine cognoscente could identify the vineyard immediately.”
contextual
“While the general public enjoyed the film for its action, the cognoscente appreciated the subtle references to classic French cinema.”
Usage
Frequently appears in the plural form 'cognoscenti'.
Pitfall
He is a cognoscenti.
He is a cognoscente.
Cognoscente is the singular form; cognoscenti is the plural form.
Etymology
From obsolete Italian cognoscente (modern Italian conoscente), from Latin cognōscere ("to know").
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/cognoscente