This week’s theme
Words to describe people

This week’s words
gongoozler
hail-fellow
connoisseur
gangrel
vulgarian

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(kon-uh-SUHR/SOOR)

MEANING:

noun: An expert who is knowledgeable enough to pass critical judgment in a field, especially in fine arts, cuisines, etc.

ETYMOLOGY:

From French connoisseur (connaisseur in Modern French), from Old French conoisseor, from conoistre (to know), from Latin cognoscere (to learn or get to know), from co- (together) + gnoscere (to know), (to learn). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gno- (to know), which is also the source of know, recognize, acquaint, ignore, diagnosis, notice, normal, agnostic, incognito, anagnorisis (the moment of recognition or discovery), and prosopagnosia (inability to recognize faces). Earliest documented use: 1719.

USAGE:

“These days olive oil must be savoured with the heightened diligence of a connoisseur.”
‘Shall We Strippagio?’ How to Be an Olive Oil Snob; The Times (London, UK); Oct 24, 2019.

See more usage examples of connoisseur in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: