inconnu

English

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From French.

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.

From in- +‎ connu .

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.

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.

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]

"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