unidentifiedadj.
/ˌʌnʌɪˈdɛntᵻfʌɪd/, U.S. /ˌənˌaɪˈdɛn(t)əˌfaɪd/ That has not been identified; of which the identity has not been established; esp. as unidentified (flying) object: cf. UFO n.1
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > recognition > absence of recognition > [adjective] > not recognized
unrecognized1710
unidentified1861
society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > spacecraft > [noun] > flying saucer or UFO
flying saucer1947
saucer1947
unidentified (flying) object1950
UFO1953
1861 R. Noel in F. Galton Vacation Tourists & Trav. 1860 467 The site of a town or village unidentified presented itself within incredibly short distances.
1867 H. Latham Black & White 68 Of these graves 138,901 will be nameless and unidentified.
1950 Chambers's Jrnl. Nov. 668/1 Project Saucer revealed that it had analysed 375 incidents of ‘unidentified flying objects’.
1954 ‘R. Crane’ Hero's Walk v. 81 Five unidentified objects were discovered last night..flying..in the direction of Earth.
1966 New Scientist 14 Apr. 87/1 Community after community observed unidentified flying objects. There were the inevitable sightings by police.
1976 L. Deighton Twinkle, twinkle, Little Spy i. 11 The strictly infra dig. pastime of looking for unidentified flying objects, or what the sci-fi freaks call ufology.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1924; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1861