cause célèbre

See also: cause celebre

English

Alternative forms

• cause celebre (US)

Etymology

Borrowing from French cause (“cause, case”) + célèbre (“famous”), in the title of a famous 18th-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/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Noun

cause célèbre (plural causes célèbres)

1. (principally, Britain) 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 polémique m
• Italian: caso famoso m
• Portuguese: acontecimento polémico m

• Russian: гро́мкое де́ло n
• Spanish: tema de interés m
• Swedish: cause célèbre (sv) n

References

• “cause célèbre” (US) / “cause célèbre” (UK) in Oxford Dictionaries, Oxford University Press.
• cause célèbre at OneLook Dictionary Search
• cause celebre at OneLook Dictionary Search