noël

IPA/nˈɒɛl/
IPA/nˈɑːɛl/

noël — noun

1. the Christmas season, used in formal or literary writing and often kept in its F

1.nounC1
Definition

the Christmas season, used in formal or literary writing and often kept in its French spelling on greeting cards, menus, and decorations to give a festive, traditional feeling.

Example

The bakery window displayed a hand-painted sign reading 'Joyeux Noël' in gold letters.

fixed greeting collocation: 'Joyeux Noël'

Tunde wished his French neighbours a happy Noël before flying home for the holidays.

happy + Noël as a polite seasonal greeting

Common collocations
  • Joyeux Noël
  • happy Noël
  • Noël menu
  • Noël greeting
  • evening before Noël
Synonyms
  • Christmas

    the everyday English word; used in speech and in almost all writing

  • Yule

    archaic or poetic; often appears in carol lyrics and old-fashioned cards

  • Yuletide

    literary; refers to the wider Christmas season rather than the day itself

Grammar Patterns

happy/joyeux Noël

celebrate Noël

Usage Note

Almost always written with the capital 'N' and the diaeresis 'ë'. Used mainly on greeting cards, menus, carol titles, and in literary or French-influenced contexts; everyday English speakers say 'Christmas'.

Common Mistakes

See you after the noel.
See you after Christmas.
In ordinary spoken English, native speakers use 'Christmas', not 'Noël'; reserve 'Noël' for written, decorative, or French-flavoured contexts.
happy noel
Happy Noël' or 'Joyeux Noël
Keep the capital letter and the diaeresis on the 'e'; dropping them looks like a misspelling.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words point to the same late-December festival, but they differ sharply in register and in when a writer would actually choose them. 'Christmas' is the everyday English word — neutral, used in conversation, news, business communication, and almost all writing. 'Noël' is the French form, kept in English for decorative or literary effect; a shop sign saying 'Joyeux Noël' or a song titled 'The First Noël' feels traditional and slightly upmarket, but no one would say 'I'm staying home for Noël' in ordinary speech. 'Yule' is older and more poetic; it survives mainly in carol lyrics ('deck the halls') and in modern Neo-pagan contexts. 'Yuletide' is similarly literary and tends to describe the whole season rather than a single day, as in 'Yuletide greetings'. Use 'Christmas' for ordinary communication; reserve 'Noël', 'Yule', and 'Yuletide' for cards, song titles, menus, and writing that aims at a warm, traditional tone.

Noël ↗Christmas ↗YuleYuletide

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Noël menu
  • Noël greeting
  • Noël card
  • Noël carol

Phrases

  • Joyeux Noël
  • Happy Noël
  • the first Noël

Prepositions

  • before Noël
  • after Noël
  • at Noël

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Noël' comes into English from Old French, where it meant 'Christmas' and also 'a Christmas carol'. The French word goes back to Latin 'natalis', meaning 'relating to birth' — the same root that gives English 'natal' and 'native'. The original sense was 'birthday', shortened from 'dies natalis Domini' ('the birthday of the Lord'). English borrowed the word in the late Middle Ages and has kept the French spelling, complete with the two dots on the 'e', as a way of marking its festive, decorative use.