people with informed appreciation of a particular field, esp in the fine arts; connoisseurs
Word origin
C18: from obsolete Italian (modern conoscente), from Latin cognōscere to know, learn about
conoscenti in American English
(ˌkounəˈʃenti, ˌkɑnə-, Italian ˌkɔnɔˈʃenti)
plural nounWord forms: singular-te (-ti, Italian -te)
cognoscenti
Word origin
[1760–70]This word is first recorded in the period 1760–70. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: boutique, lockup, plunk, provincialism, right of way