patron saint

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noun

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

Origin of patron saint

First recorded in 1710–20

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for patron saint

Historical Examples of patron saint

The following day, the 9th of May, was Kolia's patron-saint's day.
Virgin Soil
Ivan S. Turgenev
Then he fell on his knees and prayed his patron-saint to help him.
The German Lieutenant and Other Stories
August Strindberg
She is the patron-saint of young physicians and the bosom-friend of old ones.
Twice Told Tales
Nathaniel Hawthorne
And it is Kant, the patron-saint of the American Ethical lecturers, who set them the example of inconsistency.
The Story of My Mind
M. M. Mangasarian
She is the patron-saint of young physicians, and the bosom friend of old ones.
The Knickerbocker, Vol. 10, No. 3, September 1837
Various

British Dictionary definitions for patron saint

patron saint

noun

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

patron saint in Culture

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.