Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cause célèbre

/ˈkɔz səˈlɛb/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.90 in modern English

Syllables: cause cele-bre
IPA: /ˈkɔz səˈlɛb/

16

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

2

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An issue or incident (originally, a legal case) arousing widespread controversy or public debate.

British usage

Example Sentences

"Getting iced out by the tech giants turned Parler into a cause célèbre for conservatives who complained they were being censored, as well as a test case for the openness of the internet."
"As Musk has waged this pressure campaign, he has incessantly posted in support of the far right in Europe and their current causes célèbres."

Etymology

From French cause (“cause, case”) + célèbre (“famous”), in the title of an 18th-century compilation of famous legal cases, Causes célèbres.

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: -

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkɔz səˈlɛb/
British English: /ˈkɔːz sɛˈlɛbɹ(ə)/

Usage

British usage

Inflected Forms

causes célèbres (plural) cause celebre (alternative, US)

Questions

How do you pronounce cause célèbre?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɔz səˈlɛb/.
What does cause célèbre mean?: An issue or incident (originally, a legal case) arousing widespread controversy or public debate.
Where does cause célèbre come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce cause célèbre

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