Definition

Proper noun * Marie Tussaud: The surname of a French wax sculptor famous for founding Madame Tussauds, the wax museum. She created death masks of executed figures from the French Revolution and later established a permanent exhibition of wax figures in London.

Usage

• The name "Tussaud" is almost exclusively used in reference to Madame Tussaud or the museum she founded, Madame Tussauds.
• It functions as a proper noun and is always capitalized.

Examples

• Madame Tussaud learned the art of wax modeling from her uncle.
• The history of Tussaud's waxworks began in the 19th century.
• We visited Madame Tussauds in London to see the lifelike figures.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used attributively to describe things related to her or her museum.
  • The Tussaud collection includes figures of historical and contemporary celebrities.
  • It was a Tussaud-level likeness of the president.

Variants and Related Words

• Madame Tussauds (noun phrase): The name of the wax museum franchise founded by Marie Tussaud.
• Waxworks (noun): An exhibition of wax figures, often used synonymously with Madame Tussauds.

Synonyms

• Wax sculptor
• Modeler (in this specific historical context)

Notes

• "Tussaud" by itself is rarely used; it is almost always part of the full name "Madame Tussaud" or the museum name "Madame Tussauds."
• The museum's name is often used generically to refer to any high-quality, lifelike wax figure exhibition.

Noun

1. French modeler (resident in England after 1802) who made wax death masks of prominent victims of the French Revolution and toured Britain with her wax models; in 1835 she opened a permanent waxworks exhibition in London (1761-1850)