cicerone:

(plural: ‘cicerones‘ or ‘ciceroni‘)

pronunciation: when referring to a guide, the last letters ‘ne’ are said with a long ‘e’ sound — ‘sis-uh-ro-nee‘, {please click here for its pronunciation}; and when referring to an expert on beers, the letters ‘ne’ are not said with an ‘e’ sound — ‘sis-uh-ro-n’, {please click here for details and scroll down to the end of the page until you get to ‘A Quick Introduction’ on that page}. Nevertheless, as you watch the videos on the left and below this text, you will notice that people do not seem to observe this difference in the pronunciation. 

Anne Barlette, Cicerone, Blue Badge Guide, England


 

(old usage) a person who conducts sightseeing, tours, etc; a guide who shows important places and describes them to tourists, especially the historical places;

a person who knows much about beers — an expert on the beer process,

Ray Daniels, Cicerone of beers

e.g.
When we visited Italy, the hotel we stayed at provided us with a cooperative ‘cicerone’ who took us to many historical places and answered most of our stupid questions.

The word ‘Cicerone’, with a capital first ‘C’, originally used for an expert on old things and places, is also used to refer to an expert in selecting fine beers.

When somebody says that he/she is a cicerone, he/she may be an expert on beers or a guide who knows more about historical places.

For an informative article that gives some insight into the word cicerone and the world of beer, please click here, and for another interesting website that shows how this word is related to a guide, please click here.  And for another article on ‘cicerone’, the guide, please click here.
Note: ‘Cicerone’, always with a capital ‘c’ and the pronunciation with the final ‘n’ sound, is often found in the names of people, e.g. Kenny Cicerone, Ralph J. Cicerone, Katrena Cicerone, etc.

About the Author:BC Kumar

BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language. Disclaimer: This is a free educational website and all content has been compiled by the author. All copyrights to images and videos belong to their respective owners.

Comments are closed.