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Meaning of "je ne sais quoi" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD JE NE SAIS QUOI

Literally: I don't know what.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF JE NE SAIS QUOI

je ne sais quoi  [ʒənsekwa] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF JE NE SAIS QUOI

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Je ne sais quoi is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES JE NE SAIS QUOI MEAN IN ENGLISH?

je ne sais quoi

List of French words and phrases used by English speakers

Here are some examples of French words and phrases used by English speakers. English contains many words of French origin, such as art, competition, force, machine, money, police, publicity, role, routine, table, and many other anglicized French words. These are pronounced according to English rules of phonology, rather than French. Around 28% of English vocabulary is of French or Oïl language origin, most derived from, or transmitted by, the Anglo-Norman spoken by the upper classes in England for several hundred years after the Norman Conquest, before the language settled into what became Modern English. This article, however, covers words and phrases that generally entered the lexicon later, as through literature, the arts, diplomacy, and other cultural exchanges not involving conquests. As such, they have not lost their character as Gallicisms, or words that seem unmistakably foreign and "French" to an English speaker.

Definition of je ne sais quoi in the English dictionary

The definition of je ne sais quoi in the dictionary is an indefinable quality, esp of personality.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE JE NE SAIS QUOI

jct.
JD
je
jealous
jealouse
jealoushood
jealousies
jealously
jealousness
jealousy
jean
Jean de Meung
Jean Paul
jeaned
jeanette
Jeanne d´Arc
jeans
jeat
jebel

WORDS THAT END LIKE JE NE SAIS QUOI

boi
borzoi
Charleroi
envoi
euoi
Hanoi
hoi polloi
kikoi
koi
mauvaise foi
mooi
naoi
nomoi
octroi
oi
pak choi
poi
renvoi
topoi
waterzooi

Synonyms and antonyms of je ne sais quoi in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «je ne sais quoi» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF JE NE SAIS QUOI

Find out the translation of je ne sais quoi to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of je ne sais quoi from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «je ne sais quoi» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

JE NE赛斯美贵
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

je ne sais quoi
570 millions of speakers

English

je ne sais quoi
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

जेई NE sais quoi
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

JE NE الأجهزة العليا للرقابة كوي
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

не знаю что
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

je ne sais quoi
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

জে নিউজ
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

je ne sais quoi
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Je ne sais quoi
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

je ne sais quoi
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

JE NEサイスquoi
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

JE NE 사이스 quoi를
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Je ne sais quoi
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

je ne sais quoi
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

Je ne sais quoi
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

जे काही साईस कोट्या
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Je ne sais quoi
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

je ne sais quoi
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

je ne sais quoi
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

не знаю що
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

je ne sais quoi
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

je ne sais quoi
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

je ne sais quoi
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

je ne sais quoi
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

je ne sais quoi
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of je ne sais quoi

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «JE NE SAIS QUOI»

The term «je ne sais quoi» is regularly used and occupies the 71.371 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
67
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «je ne sais quoi» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of je ne sais quoi
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «je ne sais quoi».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «JE NE SAIS QUOI» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «je ne sais quoi» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «je ne sais quoi» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about je ne sais quoi

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «JE NE SAIS QUOI»

Discover the use of je ne sais quoi in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to je ne sais quoi and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
A Certain "Je Ne Sais Quoi": The Origin of Foreign Words ...
Use this book to reacquaint yourself with the English language, and you'll be compos mentis in no time.
Chloe Rhodes, 2010
2
A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi: The Ideal Guide to Sounding, ...
Charles Timoney, the author of Pardon My French, provides a practical, pleasurable guide to the charms of the Gallic people from their daily routines to their peerless gesticulations, from their come-ons to their put-downs.
Charles Timoney, 2009
3
Je-ne-sais-quoi Early Mod Euro C:
What is the je-ne-sais-quoi? How - if at all - can it be put into words? In addressing these questions, Richard Scholar offers the first full-length study of the je-ne-sais-quoi and its fortunes in early modern Europe.
Richard Scholar, 2005
4
Stuff Parisians Like: Discovering the Quoi in the Je Ne Sais ...
In the tradition of the New York Times bestseller Stuff White People Like, a tongue-in-cheek homage to Parisians.
Olivier Magny, 2011
5
Sublime Worlds: Early Modern French Literature
316) The 'je ne sais quoi' appears twice in this passage. Its first manifestation is as that which 'nous charme'. Though indefinable, it is instantly recognizable, offering a direct and unmediated form of understanding ('qui ne se prouv[e] point') .
Emma Gilby, 2006
6
Particles at the Semantics/pragmatics Interface: Synchronic ...
(38) Je me souviens qu'un jour il me trouva lisant une brochure, intitulée le je ne sais quoi. Je connais cet ouvrage, me dit-il; l'auteur y fait un grand éloge de ce je ne sais quoi, et l'auteur a tort; le je ne sais quoi est vu en beau, et seroit ...
Maj-Britt Mosegaard Hansen, 2008
7
A New History of French Literature
Gerard Defaux 1674 Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux Translates from the Greek Longinus' Treatise On the Sublime On the Sublime, Infinity, Je Ne Sais Quoi The mordant four-canto poem in alexandrine verse, L'art poêtique (The Art of Poetry),  ...
Denis Hollier, R. Howard Bloch, 1994
8
A Certain 'Je Ne Sais Quoi': Words We Pinched from Other ...
But he doesn't have any real paintings left! The spell must be broken and soon! A book containing subtle references to the work of Belgian surrealist Ren Magritte, the illustrations are full of clever and amusing details.
Chloe Rhodes, 2009
9
Literary Knowing in Neoclassical France: From Poetics to ...
a je ne sais quoi in all things: “que le je ne sçay quoy se trouve presque par tout” (E250). [“that the je ne sais quoi can be found almost everywhere.”] He locates it in physiognomy, in maladies, in nobility, and then, most critically for our ...
Ann T. Delehanty, 2013
10
La princesse de Clèves: The Tension of Elegance
qualities obliquely as “le je ne sais quoi”. This expression, fairly common during the seventeenth century, occurs m0st frequently in reference to love, the indefinable passion par excellence. Retz uses the phrase somewhat differently.
Barbara R. Woshinsky, 1973

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «JE NE SAIS QUOI»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term je ne sais quoi is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Curling team's LA Kings 'Burger King' outfits make fashion statement …
That certain 'je ne sais quoi.' You look at such a logo/jersey combo and cringe while falling in love at the same time. Sort of like a non-famous ... «Yahoo Sports, Jul 15»
2
REVIEW: Fun Lovin' Criminals, Gala Durham, BRASS Festival …
... his hand from the get go. As a frontman, he has that certain je ne sais quoi you can't quite put your finger on, but whatever it is it's mesmeric. «Hartlepool Mail, Jul 15»
3
Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll Review - TV FX - Leary Nails TV. Again …
... of the key components Leary was after given his own comedic/writing, Eddie and the Cruisers “I'm not playing Dark Side,” je ne sais quoi. «Are You Screening, Jul 15»
4
Growing Into Its Job – The 2015 Baseball Reliquary Induction …
... and a minor league legend with enough je ne sais quoi to be name-checked in a classic television series (Steve Bilko) can be afforded the ... «Hardball Times, Jul 15»
5
Market Spotlight: Distinctive Homes That Stand Out
Others are captivated by the layout and the architectural features. Some others are all for that 'je ne sais quoi' – they will know it when they see ... «Mondaq News Alerts, Jul 15»
6
Adam Liaw: bring back the three course meal | Life and style | The …
The likes of Le Chateaubriand, Frenchie and Bones all opt for four or five course menus in search of that little extra je ne sais quoi. I don't think ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»
7
ECKY THUMP! Pork pies, cricket and the weather: The Bard of …
... through Yorkshire to discover what it is about its people that makes them different — the essence, the je ne sais quoi of Yorkshireness. «Daily Mail, Jul 15»
8
Mastering the Midsummer Ponytail: Kim Kardashian West, Karlie …
Lived-in hair and pressed-on red lips are just the tip of the “je ne sais quoi” iceberg when it comes to the inexplicable allure of the femme ... «Vogue.com, Jul 15»
9
Taylor Swift's hit-packed career compressed into just 60 essential …
All that amounts to a certain je ne sais quoi that must have worked for Swift, considering “Love Story” has become one of the best-selling ... «A.V. Club Milwaukee, Jul 15»
10
An American Trend in Paris: How to Style 10 Denim Looks Spotted …
In honor of Bastille Day and the timelessness of that French je ne sais quoi, find 10 denim looks in the slideshow to try out this summer. «Style.com, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Je ne sais quoi [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/je-ne-sais-quoi>. Apr 2024 ».
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