Wordology, Deja Vu, Jamais Vu, and Presque Vu

Deja vu, literally 'already seen' is having the strong sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has already been experienced in the past.

Jamais vu, literally 'never seen' is experiencing a situation that one recognizes, but seems very unfamiliar, such as not remembering something you always see. It is most commonly experienced when a person momentarily does not recognize a word or, less commonly, a person or place, that she or he knows.

Presque vu, literally 'almost seen' is a failure to remember something, with the sense that recall is imminent. In English it is equivalent to 'tip of the tongue', failing to retrieve a word from memory, combined with partial recall and the feeling that retrieval is imminent.