signe de croix
/siɲ də kʁwa/masculine
The English phrase "sign of the cross" is translated into French as signe de croix.
signe de croix is a masculine noun used to describe the religious gesture. To indicate the act of making the sign, you use the common phrase Faire le signe de la croix.
Meaning: gesture (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/siɲ də kʁwa/
When do people say it?
During the ritual of the Sign of the Cross, specific prayers are spoken while touching different parts of the body. One says Au nom du Père while touching the forehead, et du Fils while moving the hand down to the chest or abdomen and et du Saint-Esprit while touching the left shoulder.
Did you know?
- In French, the phrase faire le signe de la croix is sometimes used figuratively to describe a feeling of dread or a superstitious reaction to bad luck.
- While French Catholics move from the forehead to the chest and then to the left shoulder, Eastern Orthodox Christians in France move to the right shoulder first.
- The word croix shares an ancient root with the English word 'crucial', which stems from the Latin 'crux' meaning cross.
Examples in context
- Le prêtre fit le signe de croix tandis que le cercueil était descendu dans le sol.The priest made the sign of the cross as the casket was lowered into the ground.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use signe de croix in a sentence involving a priest.Tatoeba #809929 by sacredceltic, translation #657153 by darinmex
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are entering an old church.
- NathanRegarde, Manon, tout le monde fait le signe de croix.Look, Manon, everyone is making the sign of the cross.
- ManonC'est une tradition très courante ici, Nathan.It is a very common tradition here, Nathan.
- NathanJe ne sais pas comment faire le signe de croix.I don't know how to make the sign of the cross.
- ManonJe peux te montrer si tu veux.I can show you if you want.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sign of the cross” translations and entries signe de croix, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries croix, de, signe, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
