je ne sais quoi

je ne sais quoi  (zh n s kwä, s)

n.

A quality or attribute that is difficult to describe or express: "Fishing has lacked a certain je ne sais quoi in terms of its public image, as all activities must that involve beer, worms and one-size-fits-all gimme caps" (Charles Leerhsen).

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[French : je, I + ne, not + sais : first person present indicative of savoir, to know + quoi, what.]

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je ne sais quoi French [ʒənsekwa]

n

an indefinable quality, esp of personality

[literally: I don't know what]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

je ne sais quoi - something indescribable object, physical object - a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow; "it was full of rackets, balls and other objects"