inconnu

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

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.

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for inconnu

Historical Examples of inconnu

Footnote 2: The authorities for the period are Masson: Napolon inconnu.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte
William Milligan Sloane
Mr. Blondelle, or Captain 'Inconnu,' did you want to see me?
Tried for Her Life
Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth
The whole proportion is denounced by several men of standing and experience, none of whom are "inconnu."
Our Vanishing Wild Life
William T. Hornaday
Footnote 14: The volumes of Napolon inconnu contain the text of these papers as deciphered for M. Masson and revised by him.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte
William Milligan Sloane
There remain in these streams hundreds of miles unnavigated, and channels innumerable known only to the inconnu and the Indian.
The New North
Agnes Deans Cameron

British Dictionary definitions for inconnu

inconnu

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