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incognita

unknown quantity

noun een-KOH-nyee-tah Rare

Also means

mystery

Usage Note

Incognita is the feminine noun from the adjective incognito and refers both to a mathematical unknown variable and to an unresolved uncertainty in any situation. The famous English borrowing incognito comes from the masculine form. In everyday Italian, è un'incognita means 'it's an open question' or 'nobody knows what will happen'.

Examples

"Il futuro dell'azienda rimane un'incognita."

Natural Translation

The company's future remains an unknown quantity.

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