cause célèbre
[ kawz suh-leb-ruh, -leb; French kohz sey-leb-ruh ]
/ ˈkɔz səˈlɛb rə, -ˈlɛb; French koʊz seɪˈlɛb rə /
noun, plural causes cé·lè·bres [kawz suh-leb-ruhz, suh-lebz, kaw-ziz suh-leb-ruh, -leb; French kohz sey-leb-ruh]. /ˈkɔz səˈlɛb rəz, səˈlɛbz, ˈkɔ zɪz səˈlɛb rə, -ˈlɛb; French koʊz seɪˈlɛb rə/.
any controversy that attracts great public attention, as a celebrated legal case or trial.
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Origin of cause célèbre
1755–65; <French: literally, famous case
Words nearby cause célèbre
causationism, causative, cause, cause a commotion, cause-and-effect, cause célèbre, cause list, cause raised eyebrows, causerie, causeuse, causeway
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for cause célèbre
cause célèbre
/ (ˈkɔːz səˈlɛbrə, -ˈlɛb, French koz selɛbrə) /
noun plural causes célèbres (ˈkɔːz səˈlɛbrəz, -ˈlɛb, ˈkɔːzɪz səˈlɛbrə, -ˈlɛbz, French koz selɛbrə)
a famous lawsuit, trial, or controversy
Word Origin for cause célèbre
C19: from French: famous case
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for cause célèbre
cause célèbre
[ (kohz say-leb-ruh, kawz suh-leb-ruh) ]
A cause or issue, generally political, that arouses public opinion: “The question of the draft was a cause célèbre in the 1960s.” From French, meaning “celebrated cause.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.