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saint definition

saint (sānt)

noun

  1. a holy person
  2. a person who is exceptionally meek, charitable, patient, etc.
  3. those, esp. holy persons, who have died and are believed to be with God
    1. in the New Testament, any Christian
    2. a member of any of certain religious groups calling themselves Saints
  5. in certain Christian churches, a person officially recognized as having lived an exceptionally holy life, and thus as being in heaven and capable of interceding for sinners; canonized person

Etymology: OFr < LL(Ec) sanctus, saint < L, holy, consecrated, pp. of sancire, to consecrate, akin to sacer: see sacred

transitive verb

to make a saint of; canonize

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

saint Synonyms

saint

n.

  1. An exceptionally virtuous person

    paragon, salt of the earth, godly person, unworldly person, altruist, philanthropist, benefactor, angel, the pure in heart, a believer; see also philanthropist.

  2. A holy person, especially one canonized by a church

    martyr, Christian martyr, religious exemplar, child of god, canonized saint.

    Familiar Christian saints include: St. Mary, St. Joseph, St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Luke, St. John, St. Nicholas, St. Francis, St. Anne, St. Christopher, St. James, St. George, St. Thomas, St. Andrew, St. Patrick, St. Valentine, St. Stephen, St. Anthony, St. Denis, St. Thomas à Becket.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

saint Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • canonize: It is of utmost importance that John Paul II canonized more saints than all previous popes combined.

Adjective modifier

  • Celtic: Such extravagant tales about the early celtic saints were very common.

Noun used with modifier

  • testament: Daniel chapter 7 tells us the Old Testament saints will reign.

Preposition: in

  • heaven: To have necessity supplied immediately from God is the state of the saints in heaven.

Possessives

  • relic: But he reckoned his greatest treasure was the unrivaled collection of saint's relics in the palace he built for God, El Escorial.

Preposition: of

  • sailor: Blakeney - St. Nicholas St. Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors.
saint usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

saint quotes

Be neither saint nor sophist-led, but be a man.

-Arnold, Matthew

Saint, n. A dead sinner revised and edited.

-Bierce, Ambrose Gwinett

The fields from Islington to Marybone, To Primrose Hill and Saint John's Wood, Were builded over with pillars of gold; And there Jerusalem's pillars stood.

-Blake,William

saint quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"saint." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/saint>

APA Style

saint. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/saint

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