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Where does the word "deja vu" come from? It comes from French deja vu, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).
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Where does the word "deja vu" come from? It comes from French deja vu, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).
Deja vu’s story begins in French: deja vu meant “already seen.” Literally already seen, coined by a French psychical researcher. It reached English by 1900s as deja vu. French 'already seen', named by the psychic researcher Émile Boirac around 1876. Today, deja vu means the unsettling feeling of having already experienced the present situation.
- Stage 1 · French · 1800s deja vu "already seen", literally already seen, coined by a French psychical researcher.
- Stage 2 · English · 1900s deja vu "the feeling of having already experienced the present situation", French 'already seen', named by the psychic researcher Émile Boirac around 1876.