connoisseur

[ kon-uh-sur, -soor ]
/ ˌkɒn əˈsɜr, -ˈsʊər /

noun

a person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in an art, particularly one of the fine arts, or in matters of taste: a connoisseur of modern art.
a discerning judge of the best in any field: a connoisseur of horses.

Origin of connoisseur

1705–15; < French; Old French conoiseor < Latin cognōscitōr- (stem of cognōscitor) knower. See cognoscible, -tor

OTHER WORDS FROM connoisseur

con·nois·seur·ship, noun

Example sentences from the Web for connoisseur

British Dictionary definitions for connoisseur

connoisseur
/ (ˌkɒnɪˈsɜː) /

noun

a person with special knowledge or appreciation of a field, esp in the arts

Derived forms of connoisseur

connoisseurship, noun

Word Origin for connoisseur

C18: from French, from Old French conoiseor, from connoistre to know, from Latin cognōscere