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patron saint

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

First recorded in 1710–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for patron saint

Historical Examples

  • 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.

  • 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.

British Dictionary definitions for patron saint

patron saint

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

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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.