cause célèbre

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

Borrowing from French cause (“cause, case”) + célèbre (“famous”), in the title of a famous 18-century compilation of famous legal cases, Nouvelles Causes Célèbres.

Pronunciation

• (French) IPA^(key): /koz se.lɛbʁ/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /kɔːz sɛˈlɛbɹ(ə)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /kɔz sɛˈlɛb/

Noun

cause célèbre (plural causes célèbres)

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

Translations

an issue or incident arousing heated public debate

• Dutch: cause célèbre f
• French: fait marquant m

• Russian: громкое дело n (grómkoe délo)
• Swedish: cause célèbre (sv) n