Revised 2018

entre nousadverb & adjective

Etymology
Meaning & use
Pronunciation
Frequency

Quotations

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Factsheet

What does the word entre nous mean?

There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the word entre nous. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

See meaning & use

How common is the word entre nous?

About 0.05occurrences per million words in modern written English

1750	0.13
1760	0.14
1770	0.14
1780	0.14
1790	0.12
1800	0.14
1810	0.14
1820	0.15
1830	0.15
1840	0.14
1850	0.14
1860	0.14
1870	0.12
1880	0.11
1890	0.11
1900	0.099
1910	0.093
1920	0.09
1930	0.083
1940	0.078
1950	0.071
1960	0.063
1970	0.058
1980	0.055
1990	0.052
2000	0.047
2010	0.042

See frequency

How is the word entre nous pronounced?

British English

/ˌɒntrə ˈnuː/

on-truh-NOO

/ˌɒ̃trə ˈnuː/

o(ng)-truh-NOO

U.S. English

/ˌɑntrə ˈnu/

ahn-truh-NOO

See pronunciation

Where does the word entre nous come from?

Earliest known use

late 1600s

The earliest known use of the word entre nous is in the late 1600s.

OED's earliest evidence for entre nous is from 1689, in the writing of Thomas Shadwell, playwright and poet.

entre nous is a borrowing from French.

Etymons: French entre nous.

See etymology

Nearby entries

entremedly, adj.?a1425
entremess, n.1340–1708
entremet, n.1477–
entremetier, n.1875–
entrench, v.1548–
entrenched, adj.1570–
entrencher, n.1573–
entrenching, n.1549–
entrenching tool, n.1758–
entrenchment, n.1590–
entre nous, adv. & adj.1689–
entrepôt, n.1721–
entreprenant, adj.c1475–1673
entrepreneur, n.1762–
entrepreneurial, adj.1890–
entrepreneurialism, n.1957–
entrepreneurially, adv.1932–
entrepreneuring, adj. & n.1929–
entrepreneurism, n.1902–
entrepreneurship, n.1902–
entrepreneuse, n.1836–

Browse more nearby entries

Etymology

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Meaning & use

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Pronunciation

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Frequency

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Entry history for entre nous, adv. & adj.

entre nous, adv. & adj. was revised in September 2018.

entre nous, adv. & adj. was last modified in December 2023.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into entre nous, adv. & adj. in December 2023.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

A Supplement to the New English Dictionary (1933)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

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View entre nous, phr. in OED Second Edition

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Chicago

Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .

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“” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, , .

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Citation details

Factsheet for entre nous, adv. & adj.

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Nearby entries

entremedly, adj.?a1425
entremess, n.1340–1708
entremet, n.1477–
entremetier, n.1875–
entrench, v.1548–
entrenched, adj.1570–
entrencher, n.1573–
entrenching, n.1549–
entrenching tool, n.1758–
entrenchment, n.1590–
entre nous, adv. & adj.1689–
entrepôt, n.1721–
entreprenant, adj.c1475–1673
entrepreneur, n.1762–
entrepreneurial, adj.1890–
entrepreneurialism, n.1957–
entrepreneurially, adv.1932–
entrepreneuring, adj. & n.1929–
entrepreneurism, n.1902–
entrepreneurship, n.1902–
entrepreneuse, n.1836–

Browse more nearby entries