presque vu

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French presque (“almost”) + vu (“seen”).

Noun

presque vu (uncountable)

1. (psychology) A failure to remember something, with the sense that recall is imminent.
   • 1961, Joseph Heller, Catch-22:

     The subtle, recurring confusion between illusion and reality that was characteristic of paramnesia fascinated the chaplain, and he knew a number of things about it. He knew, for example, that it was called paramnesia, and he was interested as well in such corollary optical phenomena as jamais vu, never seen, and presque vu, almost seen.

   • 2012, Stephen King, 11/22/63, p. 784-5:

     A psychologist might have termed it presque vu—the sense people sometimes get that something amazing is about to happen—but my name for it was much more humble: a harmony.

Related terms

• déjà vu, deja vu
• jamais vu

See also

• tip of the tongue