cause cé‧lè‧bre /ˌkəʊz seˈlebrə, ˌkɔːz- $ ˌkɒːz-, ˌkoʊz-/
noun (
plural causes célèbres (same pronunciation))
[countable][
Date: 1700-1800;
Language: French;
Origin: 'famous legal case']
an event or legal case that a lot of people become interested in, because it is an exciting subject to discuss or argue about:
The case became a cause célèbre among feminists. [TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲