saint

American  

[seynt] / seɪnt /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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verb

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

saint Cultural  

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.

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of saint

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

Example Sentences

He stresses that Columbus was “no saint” and concedes that his portrait of the man can seem “unsympathetic.”

From The Wall Street Journal

He took Francis as his papal name in honour of St Francis of Assisi, a saint who renounced his wealth and lived among the poor.

From BBC

And before anyone asks why my husband isn’t speaking up: I live in the Midwest, where the culture is very much “worship your mother; she is a saint.”

From MarketWatch

In January comes a theatrical film produced by Jackson’s G-Unit Film & Television, “Moses the Black,” a modern riff on the legend of the 4th-century saint the movie is named for.

From The Wall Street Journal

To help Juan Diego, who was later named a saint, prove his story, the virgin is said to have imprinted her image on his cloak.

From Los Angeles Times