inconnu
English
Etymology
From French.
Noun
inconnu (plural inconnus)
- A large salmonid fish, Stenodus nelma, with a large mouth with a protruding lower jaw and a high and pointed dorsal fin.
Synonyms
References
French
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɛ̃.kɔ.ny/
Audio: (file)
Adjective
inconnu (feminine inconnue, masculine plural inconnus, feminine plural inconnues)
- unknown, obscure, unfamiliar, strange
- Le hurling est un sport inconnu en dehors de l'Irlande.
- The sport of hurling is unknown outside Ireland.
Noun
inconnu m (plural inconnus, feminine inconnue)
- an unknown person, place, or thing; a stranger
- L'inconnu au bar m'a souri.
- The stranger at the bar smiled at me.
- (singular only) the things one does not know, in contrast to what one does
- 1844, Honoré de Balzac, chapter IX, in Modeste Mignon, page 181:
- Ernest demeura fasciné par le gouffre de l’inconnu. L’inconnu, c’est l’infini obscur, et rien n’est plus attachant.
- Ernest remained fascinated by the abyss of the unknown. The unknown is obscure infinity, & nothing is more enthralling.
Usage notes
- The word inconnu refers to someone or something not previously encountered and totally unknown; a related term, méconnu, refers to something that has been encountered or someone acquainted, but is not entirely familiar.[1][2]
Derived terms
References
- “inconnu”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
- ^ “Inconnu et méconnu | Blog alorthographe”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)[1], 23 June 2022 (last accessed), archived from the original on 28 September 2021
- ^ What is the difference between "inconnu" and "méconnu" ? "inconnu" vs "méconnu" ? | HiNative