patron saint

See synonyms for patron saint on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a saint regarded as the special guardian of a person, group, trade, country, etc.

Origin of patron saint

1
First recorded in 1710–20

Words Nearby patron saint

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use patron saint in a sentence

  • It was believed in Ypres that the town had been saved by the intercession of the Virgin Mary, its patron saint.

    Belgium | George W. T. (George William Thomson) Omond
  • She took part in the erection of the Cathedral of Ely amid the morasses of the “Fen” country, and was chosen as its patron saint.

    Milton's England | Lucia Ames Mead
  • San Francisco Bay, the harbor the Franciscans named for their patron saint, is noted for its picturesque scenery.

    Stories of California | Ella M. Sexton
  • Piran, the patron saint of tinners, would hardly have called down such a curse, though he might have done so if greatly provoked.

    The Cornwall Coast | Arthur L. Salmon
  • Meeting, therefore, on so auspicious a day as that of the patron saint, might in "merrie time" of old induce a little festivity.

British Dictionary definitions for patron saint

patron saint

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for patron saint

patron saint

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.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.