cognoscenti
[kon-yuh-shen-tee, kog-nuh-]
- persons who have superior knowledge and understanding of a particular field, especially in the fine arts, literature, and world of fashion.
Show More
Also conoscenti.
Origin of cognoscenti
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for cognoscente
Contemporary Examples
The saying is also inextricably linked to actress Uma Thurman, the cognoscente of cinematic revenge.
Uma Thurman on ‘Nymphomaniac,’ Lars von Trier’s Alleged Misogyny, and Women’s Sexual Double-StandardMarlow Stern
March 17, 2014
Historical Examples
Saint Thomas says, Omnes cognitio fit secundum similitudinem cogniti in cognoscente.
Criminal PsychologyHans Gross
Upon asking how he had been taught the art of a cognoscente so suddenly, he assured me that nothing was more easy.
An English GrammarW. M. Baskervill and J. W. Sewell
cognoscenti
conoscenti
- (sometimes singular) people with informed appreciation of a particular field, esp in the fine arts; connoisseurs
Show More
Word Origin
C18: from obsolete Italian (modern conoscente), from Latin cognōscere to know, learn about
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for cognoscente
n.
"connoisseur," 1778, from Italian cognoscente, Latinized from conoscente "connoisseur," literally "knowing man," from Latin cognoscentum (nominative cognoscens), present participle of cognoscere "to know" (see cognizance).
Show More
cognoscenti
n.
plural of cognoscente (q.v.).
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper