nounnounadjectiveother

le connu

know · well-known · known

Que beaucoup de personnes savent ou reconnaissent.

Definition & meaning

The word connu is the past participle of the French verb connaître . It primarily functions as an adjective meaning "known," "well-known," "famous," or "familiar."

Well-known or famous: Refers to someone or something that is widely recognized by the public. Example: C'est un auteur très connu. (He is a very well-known author.)
Familiar or recognized: Refers to something that has been encountered before or is already understood. Example: Cette chanson m'est connue. (This song is familiar to me.)
Past participle: As the past participle of connaître, it is used to form compound tenses (such as the passé composé). Example: J'ai connu cet homme il y a longtemps. (I knew/met this man a long time ago.)

Grammar & Word origin

Grammar: Connu is the masculine singular form. It changes based on gender and number: connue (feminine singular), connus (masculine plural), and connues (feminine plural). It is classified as an adjective or a past participle.
Origin: It originates from the Old French conu, which itself comes from the Latin cognitus, the past participle of cognoscere ("to get to know" or "to learn").