Dictionary
un•known
Pronunciation: (un-nōn'), [key]—
adj.
1. not known; not within the range of one's knowledge, experience, or understanding; strange; unfamiliar.
2. not discovered, explored, identified, or ascertained:
the unknown parts of Antarctica.
3. not widely known; not famous; obscure:
an unknown writer.
—
n.
1. a thing, influence, area, factor, or person that is unknown:
the many unknowns in modern medicine; The director cast an unknown in the leading role.
2. Math.a symbol representing an unknown quantity: in algebra, analysis, etc., frequently represented by a letter from the last part of the alphabet, as
x, y, or
z.Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.