inconnu

[ in-kuh-noo, -nyoo, ing-; French an-kaw-ny ]

/ ˌɪn kəˈnu, -ˈnyu, ˌɪŋ-; French ɛ̃ kɔˈnü /

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noun, plural in·con·nus

[in-kuh-nooz, -nyooz, ing-; French an-kaw-ny], /ˌɪn kəˈnuz, -ˈnyuz, ˌɪŋ-; French ɛ̃ kɔˈnü/, (especially collectively for 2) in·con·nu.

a person who is unknown; stranger.

Also called sheefish. a game fish, Stenodus leucichthys, of fresh or brackish northern waters.

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Origin of inconnu

1800–10; <French: literally, unknown, equivalent to in-in-³ + connu, past participle of connaître to know, be acquainted with <Latin cognōscere;see cognition

Words nearby inconnu

incongruence, incongruent, incongruent melting, incongruity, incongruous, inconnu, in conscience, inconscient, inconsecutive, in consequence, inconsequent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use inconnu in a sentence

In true Martinism, the significance of the term Philosophe inconnu was of another order.
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot|L. W. de Laurence
It is under precisely similar circumstances that the hero of the Bel Inconnu stories undertakes his first adventure.
The Legend of Sir Lancelot du Lac|Jessie L. Weston
Ils sont tous dorez avec une delicatesse inconnu aux doreurs d'aujourd'hui.
Bibliomania; or Book-Madness|Thomas Frognall Dibdin
My thirst for the blood of this inconnu has modified considerably in the past few days.
Doom Castle|Neil Munro

This is probably the earliest notice of the inconnu, Stenodus Mackenzii (Richardson).
A Journey from Prince of Wales's Fort in Hudson's Bay to the Northern Ocean in the Years 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772|Samuel Hearne

British Dictionary definitions for inconnu

inconnu

/ (ˈɪnkənuː) /

noun

a North American freshwater food and game fish, Stenodus leucichthys, related to the salmon

Word Origin for inconnu

C19: from French, literally: unknown

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