Saint

Saint

Noun · /seɪnt/ · a holy person formally recognised by a church; any person of great goodness

Definition

A saint is, in its primary religious sense, a person officially recognised by a Christian church — particularly the Roman Catholic or Orthodox churches — as being exceptionally holy, typically after death, following a formal process of canonisation. Saints are venerated as intercessors and their feast days are observed in the liturgical calendar. In broader English usage, saint means any person of remarkable patience, goodness, or self-sacrifice — she is an absolute saint for looking after everyone; my grandmother was a saint. It is also used as a title before a personal name: Saint Francis, Saint George, Saint Patrick.

Origin

From Old French seint, from Latin sanctus, meaning holy or sacred — the past participle of sancire, to make sacred. The Latin root is also the source of sanctify, sanctuary, and sacred. The word entered English after the Norman Conquest of 1066, displacing or sitting alongside the Old English equivalent halig (holy). The abbreviation St. before place names (St Andrews, St Ives) and personal names is a ubiquitous feature of British English geography and naming.