saint

[seynt]

noun

1. any of certain persons of exceptional holiness of life, formally recognized as such by the Christian Church, especially by canonization.

2. a person of great holiness, virtue, or benevolence.

3. a founder, sponsor, or patron, as of a movement or organization.

4. (in certain religious groups) a designation applied by the members to themselves.

verb (used with object)

1. to enroll formally among the saints recognized by the Church.

2. to give the name of saint to; reckon as a saint.

saint

/ seɪnt, sənt /

noun

1. a person who after death is formally recognized by a Christian Church, esp the Roman Catholic Church, as having attained, through holy deeds or behaviour, a specially exalted place in heaven and the right to veneration

2. a person of exceptional holiness or goodness

3. (plural) Bible the collective body of those who are righteous in God's sight

verb

1. (tr) to canonize; recognize formally as a saint

saint

1. In Christianity, a holy person, living or dead; a person who has been saved (see salvation) (see also salvation). Saint is the French word for “holy.” Many churches reserve the title of saint for persons who have died faithful to their Christian commitment. The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church require certain procedures before people can be officially named saints; this procedure is called canonization.

Other Word Forms

• saintless adjective
• outsaint verb (used with object)
• supersaint noun
• saintdom noun
• saintlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of saint¹

before 1000; Middle English (noun and v.) < Old French (noun) < Latin sānctus sacred, adj. use of past participle of sancīre to consecrate, equivalent to sanc- (akin to sacer sacred ) + -tus past participle suffix; replacing Old English sanct < Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of saint¹

C12: from Old French, from Latin sanctus holy, from sancīre to hallow

Example Sentences

In a polarized environment, the elevation of a figure into a saint does more than honor the individual.

From Salon

Kirk was neither a demon nor a saint, and looking for the cause of his death in slogans and political statements is pointless — if you want to solve the problem.

From Salon

Kirk was no saint, but if his assassination makes us take a collective deep breath and figure out how to fix this fractured nation together, he will have truly died a martyr’s death.

From Los Angeles Times

People in a Welsh village were left baffled after St George's Crosses, the symbol of England's patron saint and the country's flag, appeared around the area.

From BBC

But the best twist is when you realize how much you’ve come to care about these characters, be they saints or sinners or a bit of both.

From Los Angeles Times