je ne sais quoi. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

je ne sais quoi

PRONUNCIATION:	zh n s kwä, s
NOUN:	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).
ETYMOLOGY:	French : je, I + ne, not + sais, first person present indicative of savoir, to know + quoi, what.


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.