Meaning & use
Toussaint
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Meanings
proper nounproperreligion
A French name for All Saints' Day, a Christian festival kept on November 1 to honor all the saints.
Grammar: Used as a name, so it normally takes no article: people say 'Toussaint is on November 1', not 'the Toussaint'.
Patterns
- Toussaint is on November 1
- celebrate Toussaint
In France, Toussaint is a public holiday, so many shops close for the day.
My French teacher explained that Toussaint falls on the first day of November every year.
Families in the region often visit cemeteries and leave flowers around Toussaint.
proper nounproper
A French surname, and also a common given name in France and Haiti.
Grammar: As a name it is spelled with a capital T and is not used with 'the'.
Patterns
- a man named Toussaint
- Toussaint Louverture
The Haitian leader Toussaint Louverture is studied in history classes around the world.
She told me her grandfather's surname was Toussaint, spelled with a double s at the end.
Common combinations
- Toussaint is on November 1
- Ask anyone in Paris and they will tell you that Toussaint is on November 1.
- celebrate Toussaint
- Catholic communities in the area celebrate Toussaint with a special morning service.
- around Toussaint
- Train tickets get expensive around Toussaint, so book early.
- Toussaint holiday
- The office is closed for the Toussaint holiday.
Synonyms and how they differ
- All Saints' Day
- This is the standard English name for the same festival; use it when your reader may not know French.
- All Hallows
- An older English name for the same day; it sounds literary or historical today.
Commonly confused: Toussaint or Toussaint Louverture?
Toussaint vs Toussaint Louverture
This is the full name of the famous Haitian revolutionary leader, not the festival; if you mean the holiday, just say Toussaint or All Saints' Day.
Practice
Which sentence uses the festival name correctly?
Choose one answer.
As a proper noun naming a single festival, Toussaint takes no article and no plural: 'on Toussaint' is correct. 'On the Toussaint' wrongly adds an article, 'a Toussaint' treats it as a countable event, and 'Toussaints' invents a plural.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Toussaint”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.