patron saint

American  

noun

1. a saint regarded as the special guardian of a person, group, trade, country, etc.

---

patron saint British  

noun

1. a saint regarded as the particular guardian of a country, church, trade, person, etc

---

patron saint Cultural  

1. A saint from whom a person or group claims special protection or prayers. Saint Christopher, for example, is considered the patron of travelers; Saint Luke, the patron of doctors; and Saint Patrick, the patron of Ireland. People who have the same name as a saint may consider the saint their patron. The honoring of patron saints is especially common in the Roman Catholic Church.

---

Etymology

Origin of patron saint

First recorded in 1710–20

Example Sentences

But England is a nation divided over its identity and even over how to celebrate its patron saint.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

With their help, the conference can put its money where its mouth is, as the patron saint of world-changing upstarts.

From Slate • May 8, 2026

An agitated Jean finds herself praying to none other than Monica Lewinsky, the patron saint of bad romantic choices, or as Langbein puts it, “of those who suffer venal public shaming and patriarchal cruelty.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Just as Pilates has a patron saint in Joseph Pilates, the field of somatics has the late Thomas Hanna, a philosopher and student of neurology who coined the term in 1976.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

The grouchy woman looked at my drawings of the Lithuanian coat of arms, Trakai Castle, our patron saint, Casimir, and the stork, the national bird of Lithuania.

From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys

Related Words

• guardian angel