santo

American  

[san-toh, sahn-, sahn-taw] / ˈsæn toʊ, ˈsɑn-, ˈsɑn tɔ /

noun

santos plural

1. a carved figure of a saint, usually of wood, as from Puerto Rico, Mexico, or the southwestern United States.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• santos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of santo

First recorded in 1630–40, for an earlier sense; from Spanish: literally, saint; from Latin sānctus

Example Sentences

It’s essentially something between olive oil and olio santo, except it’s a little sweeter and less spicy.

From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026

To make my own, I alchemized a potpourri of sandalwood, hinoki wood, palo santo, mint, patchouli and tachibana orange.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

This pretty kit contains mountain sage, frankincense, myrrh and white copal resin; a Selenite stick; crystals and a palo santo stick for smudging.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2023

Of the blends, there’s Iré Ayé, which mixes patchouli, palo santo, frankincense powder and dragon’s blood, ingredients that together “manifest monetary abundance and encourage a magical rain of riches.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 9, 2022

With a last effort, she pumped her wings and flew straight ahead and came down on a palo santo tree on Es- pariola Island.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George