Cicerone

Cicerone is an old term for a guide, one who conducts visitors and sightseers to museums, galleries, etc., and explains matters of archaeological, antiquarian, historic or artistic interest. The word is presumably taken from Marcus Tullius Cicero, as a type of learning and eloquence. The Oxford English Dictionary finds examples of the use earlier in English than Italian, the earliest quotation being from Joseph Addison's Dialogue on Medals (published posthumously 1726). It appears that the word was first applied to learned antiquarians who show and explain to foreigners the antiquities and curiosities of the country (quotation of 1762 in the New English Dictionary).

See also

• Bear-leader (guide)
• Museum docent

References

Look up cicerone in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cicerone". Encyclopædia Britannica. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 360.