cause célèbre

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word cause célèbre. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word cause célèbre, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say cause célèbre in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word cause célèbre you have here. The definition of the word cause célèbre will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofcause célèbre, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: cause celebre

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈkɔːz sɛˈlɛbɹ(ə)/
  • Audio (UK):(file)
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈkɔz səˈlɛb/, /-ˈlɛbɹə/, sometimes /-ˈlɛbɹeɪ/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • (like French) IPA(key): /ˈkoʊz seɪˈlɛbɹ(ə)/

Noun

cause célèbre (plural causes célèbres)

  1. (chiefly UK) An issue or incident (originally, a legal case) arousing widespread controversy or public debate.
    • 2021 February 15, Jack Nicas, “Parler, a Social Network That Attracted Trump Fans, Returns Online”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
      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.

Translations

References

  1. ^ Nicolas-Toussaint Des Essarts, editor (1773–1789), Causes célèbres (in French)

Further reading