arrière-pensée
ar·ri·ère-pen·sée
(ăr′ē-âr′päN-sā′)n.
A mental reservation, as about the validity of something.
[French : arrière, in back (from Old French arere; see arrears) + pensée, thought (from penser, to think; see pensive).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
arrière-pensée
(arjɛrpɑ̃se)n
an unrevealed thought or intention
[C19: literally: behind thought]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ar•rière-pen•sée
(a ryɛr pɑ̃ˈseɪ)n., pl. -pen•sées (-pɑ̃ˈseɪ)
French.
a mental reservation; hidden motive.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
arrière-pensée
A French word meaning an unspoken thought or mental reservation.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited