This International Museum Day, we find ourselves musing about one of our favorite terms of museology. Museology, of course, refers to the science or profession of museum organization, equipment, or management; and yes, the muse in museum honors the Greek goddesses of that name. Some terms familiar to museologists (that is, to specialists in museum work) include museum piece, "an object of lasting value or interest suitable for or preserved in a museum;" and purchase prize, which refers to "the award, in a competitive exhibition, that is conferred upon a work of art when it is purchased by a museum." (来源：专业英语学习网站 http://www.EnglishCN.com)

Then of course, there is the docent, "the person who conducts guided tours through the museum and discusses or comments on the exhibits." And that leads us nicely to our favorite museum term: cicerone. Cicerone names "a guide who conducts sightseers to places or objects of interest, such as a museum." That word was borrowed into English from Italian, where Cicerone names Cicero, the Roman statesman, political theorist, author, and—to get to the matter at hand—orator. The volubility of Cicero helped cicerone develop its English sense naming "a talkative guide."