cognoscente

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 21, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>cognoscente</strong> &#149; \kahn-yuh-SHEN-tee\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><strong>:</strong> a person who has expert knowledge in a subject <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/connoisseur">connoisseur</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"Though he was recognized among certain <em>cognoscenti</em> during his most active years, [American photographer Todd] Webb … had plenty to distract him from the trifles of stardom—including time spent as a fire ranger for the U.S. Forestry Service, naval photographer in World War II, gold prospector in Panama, and resident of, in turn, Provence, France; Bath, England; and Portland, Maine." — <a href="https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/todd-webb-photography">David Foxley, <em>Architectural Digest</em>, 18 Apr. 2017</a></p> <p>"Liz Goldwyn is, in fact, a film-world royal—her grandfather was the Hollywood kingpin Samuel Goldwyn—not to mention a fashion-world darling and an art-world <em>cognoscente</em>." — <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/fashion/Hollywood-Filmmaking-Liz-Goldwyn-.html">Peter Haldeman, <em>The New York Times</em>, 3 Jan. 2014</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Cognoscente</em> and <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/connoisseur">connoisseur</a></em> are more than synonyms; they're also linguistic cousins. Both terms descend from the Latin verb <em>cognōscere</em>, meaning "to know," and they're not alone. You might guess that <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cognizance">cognizance</a></em> and <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cognition">cognition</a></em> are members of the <em>cognōscere</em> clan. Do you also recognize a family resemblance in <em><a href="https://w