saint

Meanings

Noun

• A person whom a church or another religious group has officially recognised as especially holy or godly; one eminent for piety and virtue.
• A person with positive qualities; one who does good.
• One of the blessed in heaven.
• A holy object.

Verb

• To canonize, to formally recognize someone as a saint.

Related

Similar words

• hallow

Origin

• From Middle English saint, seint, sainct, seinct, sanct, senct, partly from Old English sanct and confluence with Old French saint, seinte (Modern French saint); both from Latin sanctus ("holy, consecrated”, in Late Latin as a noun, “a saint"), past participle of sancire, akin to sacer. Displaced native Middle English halwe from Old English hālga (> Modern English hallow).
• From Middle English saynten, seinten, sonten, partly from Anglo-Norman saintir and partly from the noun Middle English seint, seynt (see above).
• From the pattern of naming various places for Saints from religion.