Adjacent Words

saint definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization
2: person of exceptional holiness [syn: saint, holy man, holy person, angel]
3: model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal [syn: ideal, paragon, nonpareil, saint, apotheosis, nonesuch, nonsuch] v
1: hold sacred [syn: enshrine, saint]
2: declare (a dead person) to be a saint; "After he was shown to have performed a miracle, the priest was canonized" [syn: canonize, canonise, saint]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French seint, saint, from Late Latin sanctus, from Latin, sacred, from past participle of sancire to make sacred — more at sacred Date: 13th century 1. one officially recognized especially through canonization as preeminent for holiness 2. a. one of the spirits of the departed in heaven b. angel 1a 3. a. one of God's chosen and usually Christian people b. capitalized a member of any of various Christian bodies; specifically Latter-day Saint 4. one eminent for piety or virtue 5. an illustrious predecessor • saintdom noun • saintlike adjective II. transitive verb Date: 13th century to recognize or designate as a saint; specifically canonize

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. (abbr. St or S; pl. Sts or SS) 1 a holy or (in some Churches) a canonized person regarded as having a place in heaven. 2 (Saint or St) the title of a saint or archangel, hence the name of a church etc. (St Paul's) or (often with the loss of the apostrophe) the name of a town etc. (St Andrews; St Albans). 3 a very virtuous person; a person of great real or affected holiness (would try the patience of a saint). 4 a member of the company of heaven (with all the angels and saints). 5 ( Bibl., archaic, and used by Puritans, Mormons, etc.) one of God's chosen people; a member of the Christian Church or one's own branch of it. --v.tr. 1 canonize; admit to the calendar of saints. 2 call or regard as a saint. 3 (as sainted adj.) sacred; of a saintly life; worthy to be regarded as a saint. Phrases and idioms: my sainted aunt see AUNT. saint's day a Church festival in memory of a saint . Derivatives: saintdom n. sainthood n. saintlike adj. saintling n. saintship n. Etymology: ME f. OF seint, saint f. L sanctus holy, past part. of sancire consecrate

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Saint Saint (s[=a]nt), n. [F., fr. L. sanctus sacred, properly p. p. of sancire to render sacred by a religious act, to appoint as sacred; akin to sacer sacred. Cf. Sacred, Sanctity, Sanctum, Sanctus.] 1. A person sanctified; a holy or godly person; one eminent for piety and virtue; any true Christian, as being redeemed and consecrated to God. Them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints. --1 Cor. i. 2. 2. One of the blessed in heaven. Then shall thy saints, unmixed, and from the impure Far separate, circling thy holy mount, Unfeigned hallelujahs to thee sing. --Milton. 3. (Eccl.) One canonized by the church. [Abbrev. St.] Saint Andrew's cross. (a) A cross shaped like the letter X. See Illust. 4, under Cross. (b) (Bot.) A low North American shrub (Ascyrum Crux-Andre[ae], the petals of which have the form of a Saint Andrew's cross. --Gray. Saint Anthony's cross, a T-shaped cross. See Illust. 6, under Cross. Saint Anthony's fire, the erysipelas; -- popularly so called because it was supposed to have been cured by the intercession of Saint Anthony. Saint Anthony's nut (Bot.), the groundnut (Bunium flexuosum); -- so called because swine feed on it, and St. Anthony was once a swineherd. --Dr. Prior. Saint Anthony's turnip (Bot.), the bulbous crowfoot, a favorite food of swine. --Dr. Prior. Saint Barnaby's thistle (Bot.), a kind of knapweed (Centaurea solstitialis) flowering on St. Barnabas's Day, June 11th. --Dr. Prior. Saint Bernard (Zo["o]l.), a breed of large, handsome dogs celebrated for strength and sagacity, formerly bred chiefly at the Hospice of St. Bernard in Switzerland, but now common in Europe and America. There are two races, the smooth-haired and the rough-haired. See Illust. under Dog. Saint Catharine's flower (Bot.), the plant love-in-a-mist. See under Love. Saint Cuthbert's beads (Paleon.), the fossil joints of crinoid stems. Saint Dabeoc's heath (Bot.), a heatherlike plant (Dab[oe]cia polifolia), named from an Irish saint. Saint Distaff's Day. See under Distaff. Saint Elmo's fire, a luminous, flamelike appearance, sometimes seen in dark, tempestuous nights, at some prominent point on a ship, particularly at the masthead and the yardarms. It has also been observed on land, and is due to the discharge of electricity from elevated or pointed objects. A single flame is called a Helena, or a Corposant; a double, or twin, flame is called a Castor and Pollux, or a double Corposant. It takes its name from St. Elmo, the patron saint of sailors. Saint George's cross (Her.), a Greek cross gules upon a field argent, the field being represented by a narrow fimbriation in the ensign, or union jack, of Great Britain. Saint George's ensign, a red cross on a white field with a union jack in the upper corner next the mast. It is the distinguishing badge of ships of the royal navy of England; -- called also the white ensign. --Brande & C. Saint George's flag, a smaller flag resembling the ensign, but without the union jack; used as the sign of the presence and command of an admiral. [Eng.] --Brande & C. Saint Gobain glass (Chem.), a fine variety of soda-lime plate glass, so called from St. Gobain in France, where it was manufactured. Saint Ignatius's bean (Bot.), the seed of a tree of the Philippines (Strychnos Ignatia), of properties similar to the nux vomica. Saint James's shell (Zo["o]l.), a pecten (Vola Jacob[ae]us) worn by pilgrims to the Holy Land. See Illust. under Scallop. Saint James's-wort (Bot.), a kind of ragwort (Senecio Jacob[ae]a). Saint John's bread. (Bot.) See Carob. Saint John's-wort (Bot.), any plant of the genus Hypericum, most species of which have yellow flowers; -- called also John's-wort. Saint Leger, the name of a race for three-year-old horses run annually in September at Doncaster, England; -- instituted in 1776 by Col. St. Leger. Saint Martin's herb (Bot.), a small tropical American violaceous plant (Sauvagesia erecta). It is very mucilaginous and is used in medicine.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Saint Saint (s[=a]nt), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sainted; p. pr. & vb. n. Sainting.] To make a saint of; to enroll among the saints by an offical act, as of the pope; to canonize; to give the title or reputation of a saint to (some one). A large hospital, erected by a shoemaker who has been beatified, though never sainted. --Addison. To saint it, to act as a saint, or with a show of piety. Whether the charmer sinner it or saint it. --Pope.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Saint Saint, v. i. To act or live as a saint. [R.] --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(saints) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A saint is someone who has died and been officially recognized and honoured by the Christian church because his or her life was a perfect example of the way Christians should live. Every parish was named after a saint. ...Saint John. N-COUNT; N-TITLE 2. If you refer to a living person as a saint, you mean that they are extremely kind, patient, and unselfish. My girlfriend is a saint to put up with me. N-COUNT [approval]

Easton's Bible Dictionary

one separated from the world and consecrated to God; one holy by profession and by covenant; a believer in Christ (Ps. 16:3; Rom. 1:7; 8:27; Phil. 1:1; Heb. 6:10).

The "saints" spoken of in Jude 1:14 are probably not the disciples of Christ, but the "innumerable company of angels" (Heb. 12:22; Ps. 68:17), with reference to Deut. 33:2.

This word is also used of the holy dead (Matt. 27:52; Rev. 18:24). It was not used as a distinctive title of the apostles and evangelists and of a "spiritual nobility" till the fourth century. In that sense it is not a scriptural title.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Holy person.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A piece of spoilt timber in a coach-maker's shop, like a saint, devoted to the flames.

Moby Thesaurus

Ambrose of Milan, Athanasius, Barnabas, Basil, Christian, Clement of Alexandria, Clement of Rome, Cyprian of Carthage, Cyril of Jerusalem, God-fearing man, Gregory of Nyssa, Hermas, Ignatius, Irenaeus, Jerome, John, John Chrysostom, Justin Martyr, Lactantius Firmianus, Luke, Mark, Origen, Papias, Paul, Peter, Polycarp, Tertullian, accepter, aggrandize, angel, angel of light, angel of love, ante-Nicene Fathers, apostle, apotheose, apotheosize, archangel, beatified soul, beatify, believer, bless, canonize, canonized mortal, catechumen, celestial, cherub, cherubim, churchgoer, churchite, churchman, cleanse, communicant, consecrate, convert, crown, daily communicant, dedicate, deify, devote, devotee, devotionalist, disciple, elevate, ennoble, enshrine, enthrone, evangelist, exalt, fanatic, follower, frock, glamorize, glorify, good Christian, great soul, guru, hallow, heavenly being, holy man, immortalize, lionize, magnify, mahatma, make legendary, martyr, messenger of God, neophyte, ordain, patron saint, pietist, principality, proselyte, purify, raise, receiver, recording angel, religionist, rishi, sanctify, saved soul, seraph, seraphim, set apart, set up, soul in glory, starets, theist, throne, truster, uplift, votary, zealot