Saint Louis

English

Alternative forms

• St Louis, St. Louis
• Saint-Louis

Etymology

From French Saint-Louis, usually after King Louis IX of France (sometimes with oblique reference to later French kings named Louis). Sometimes after other places named for him. In the case of the Alsace commune, originally from German Sankt Ludwig bei Basel. In the case of the Minnesota river, thought to reference its French discoverer's recent Cross of Saint Louis, named for the French king. Doublet of São Luís.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /seɪnt ˈluːɪs/, /seɪnt ˈluəs/, /seɪntˈluːwi/, /sənt ˈluːɪs/, /sɑn ˈlui/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /seɪnt ˈluːwiː/

Proper noun

Saint Louis

1. A city in eastern Missouri, United States, near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and formerly important in the United States' westward expansion.
   • 1876, “Mark Twain”, in Tom Sawyer, page 156:

     ...that Saint Louis smarty that thinks he dresses so fine...

2. A city in northern Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River.
3. A city in southwestern Réunion in Indian Ocean.
4. A commune of the Haut-Rhin department, Alsace, France.
5. A river in northeastern Minnesota, United States.

Usage notes

• As with Louis, English speakers more often approximate the French pronunciation in reference to Francophone places while using anglicized pronunciations with American ones. Similarly, the hyphenated French spelling is much more often used for the Francophone locations.

Derived terms

• East St. Louis
• Saint Louisan, Saint Louisian
• Saint Louis County
• the Lou (nickname for St. Louis, Missouri)

References

• “Saint Louis”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Anagrams

• Louissaint