cicerone

cicerone

See also: Cicerone and cicérone

English

Etymology

1726,[1] from Italian cicerone (surface analysis cicero + -one (augmentative)), from Latin Cicerōnem, form of Cicerō, agnomen of Marcus Tullius Cicero), the Roman orator, from cicer (“chickpea”) from Proto-Indo-European *ḱiker- (“pea”). Possibly humorous reference to loquaciousness of guides.[1]

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /t͡ʃɪt͡ʃəˈɹəʊni/, /sɪsəˈɹəʊni/

Noun

cicerone (plural cicerones or ciceroni)

1. A guide who accompanies visitors and sightseers to museums, galleries, etc., and explains matters of archaeological, antiquarian, historic or artistic interest..
   • 1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's School Days, Part I, Chapter 7

     East, still doing the cicerone, pointed out all the remarkable characters to Tom as they passed […]

   • 1969, Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor, Penguin 2011, p. 3:

     he was in the act of making his evening plans with the same smelly but nice cicerone in a café-au-lait suit whom he had hired already twice at the same Genoese hotel [...].

   • 1987, Michael Brodsky, Xman, p. 360:

     Ultimately their gazes all rested on his cicerone as most powerful member of the group.

   • 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage 2007, p. 279:

     “First,” advised their cicerone in the matter, Professor Svegli of the University of Pisa, “try to forget the usual picture in two dimensions.”

Related terms

• Ciceronian

Translations

guide

Esperanto: ĉiĉerono French: cicérone (fr) m German: Cicerone (de) m Greek: ξεναγός (el) m or f (xenagós) Latin: dux (la) m Portuguese: cicerone (pt) Russian: гид (ru) m (gid), проводни́к (ru) m (provodník)

Verb

cicerone (third-person singular simple present cicerones, present participle ciceroning, simple past and past participle ciceroned)

1. (transitive, intransitive, archaic) To show (somebody) the sights, acting as a tourist guide.
   • 1841, Charles Lever, chapter 17, in Charles O'Malley, the Irish Dragoon, volume 1, page 151:

     Accordingly, as three o'clock struck, six dashing-looking light dragoons were seen slowly sauntering up the dining-hall, escorted by Webber, who, in full academic costume, was leisurely ciceroning his friends and expatiating upon the excellences of the very remarkable portraits which graced the walls.

References

1. Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “cicerone”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• croceine

---

Italian

Etymology

From Latin Cicerōnem, form of Cicerō, agnomen of Marcus Tullius Cicero), the Roman orator, from cicer (“chickpea”), a reference to his warts, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱiker- (“pea”). By surface analysis, Latin Cicero +‎ -one (agentive suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃi.t͡ʃeˈro.ne/
• Rhymes: -one
• Hyphenation: ci‧ce‧ró‧ne

Noun

cicerone m (plural ciceroni)

1. a guide who shows people around tourist sights
2. (informal) a know-it-all or smart ass

Descendants

• → Catalan: cicerone
• → English: cicerone
• → Esperanto: ĉiĉerono
• → French: cicérone
• → Spanish: cicerone

Further reading

• cicerone in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• concerei, concerie

---

Portuguese

Etymology

From Italian cicerone, named after Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /si.seˈɾõ.ni/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /si.seˈɾõ.ni/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /si.seˈɾo.ne/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /si.sɨˈɾɔ.n(ɨ)/

• Hyphenation: ci‧ce‧ro‧ne

Noun

cicerone m or f by sense (plural cicerones)

1. cicerone (guide who shows people tourist sights)

Related terms

• Cícero
• ciceroneado
• ciceronear
• ciceroniano
• cicerônico

---

Romanian

Etymology

From Italian cicerone or French cicérone.

Noun

cicerone m (plural ciceroni)

1. cicerone

Declension

Declension of cicerone

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) cicerone	ciceroneul	(niște) ciceroni	ciceronii
genitive/dative	(unui) cicerone	ciceroneului	(unor) ciceroni	ciceronilor
vocative	ciceroneule		ciceronilor

---

Spanish

Etymology

Italian cicerone

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /θiθeˈɾone/ [θi.θeˈɾo.ne]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America) /siseˈɾone/ [si.seˈɾo.ne]
• Rhymes: -one
• Syllabification: ci‧ce‧ro‧ne

Noun

cicerone m or f (plural cicerones)

1. guide, cicerone (person)

   Synonym: guía

Further reading

• “cicerone”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014