Italian Vocabulary in the News

In Stuff and Nonsense, the New York Times writes that "nonsmiling magazines [those that tend to feature non-smiling, haughty, bored models, according to the columnist David Brooks] are all about exclusivity and status. They feature cutting-edge designers and authoritative editors (such as Diana Vreeland or Anna Wintour) filling you in on the latest trends among the cognoscenti."

For those who didn't know, the Merriam-Webster entry for cognoscenti states: cognosente (singular form) is obsolete Italian (now conoscente), from cognoscente, adjective, wise, from Latin cognoscent-, cognoscens, present participle of cognoscere: person who is especially knowledgeable in a subject.