Toile (en. Cloth)

/twal/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

noun

Linen, cotton, or other fabric used for sewing, painting, or as a covering.

She buys canvas to sew a new dress.

Elle achète de la toile pour coudre une nouvelle robe.

Fabric used as a support for painting.

The painter chose a large canvas for his work.

Le peintre a choisi une toile de grande taille pour son œuvre.

Surface on which artworks are created.

He hung his canvas on the living room wall.

Il a accroché sa toile sur le mur du salon.

In web jargon, refers to a graphical interface or layout.

The website's layout is very well designed.

La toile du site est très bien conçue.

From Latin 'tela', which means fabric.

to set up a canvas

To prepare a work on canvas.

mettre en toile

spider web

Structure made up of interwoven threads, often used figuratively to describe a complex network.

toile d'araignée

background

Background that decorates a space or scene.

toile de fond

oilcloth

Type of coated fabric to make it waterproof.

toile cirée

burlap

Fabric made from jute fibers, often used for bags.

toile de jute

In informal language, sometimes refers to the toilet.

I need to go to the toilet before I leave.

Je dois aller à la toile avant de partir.

Can also mean a confusing or messy situation.

It’s a mess here, we can’t find our way around.

C'est la toile ici, on ne s'y retrouve plus.