Etymology

cicerone

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Today it means: A guide who accompanies visitors and sightseers to museums, galleries, etc., and explains matters of archaeological, antiquarian, historic or artistic interest. Full definition →

Italian cicerone ← Latin Cicerōnem ← Proto-Indo-European *ḱiker-
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ḱiker-“pea”
  2. Latin · derived fromCicerōnem
  3. Italian · borrowed fromcicerone
  4. English todaycicerone

1726, 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.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.