saint

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

saint, 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.].

•  A person sanctified; a holy or godly person; one eminent for piety and virtue; any true Christian, as being redeemed and consecrated to God.  [1913 Webster]

  "Them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints."  [1913 Webster]
•  One of the blessed in heaven.  [1913 Webster]

  "Then shall thy saints, unmixed, and from the impure
  Far separate, circling thy holy mount,
  Unfeigned hallelujahs to thee sing."  [1913 Webster]
•  One canonized by the church.  [1913 Webster]

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-Andreæ, 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 (Zoöl.), 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 (Dabœcia 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 (Zoöl.), a pecten (Vola Jacobæus) worn by pilgrims to the Holy Land. See Illust. under Scallop. -- Saint James's-wort (Bot.), a kind of ragwort (Senecio Jacobæa). -- 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. <-- p. 1269 pr=PCP --> -- Saint Martin's summer, a season of mild, damp weather frequently prevailing during late autumn in England and the Mediterranean countries; -- so called from St. Martin's Festival, occurring on November 11. It corresponds to the Indian summer in America. Shak. Whittier. -- Saint Patrick's cross. See Illust. 4, under Cross. -- Saint Patrick's Day, the 17th of March, anniversary of the death (about 466) of St. Patrick, the apostle and patron saint of Ireland. -- Saint Peter's fish. (Zoöl.) See John Dory, under John. -- Saint Peter's-wort (Bot.), a name of several plants, as Hypericum Ascyron, H. quadrangulum, Ascyrum stans, etc. -- Saint Peter's wreath (Bot.), a shrubby kind of Spiræa (S. hypericifolia), having long slender branches covered with clusters of small white blossoms in spring. -- Saint's bell. See Sanctus bell, under Sanctus. -- Saint Vitus's dance (Med.), chorea; -- so called from the supposed cures wrought on intercession to this saint.

saint, v. t. 

 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).  [1913 Webster]
"A large hospital, erected by a shoemaker who has been beatified, though never sainted."  [1913 Webster]
"Whether the charmer sinner it or saint it."  [1913 Webster]

saint, v. i. 

 To act or live as a saint.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

saint, 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.

Idiom

my sainted aunt see AUNT. saint's day a Church festival in memory of a saint .

Derivative

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

DEVIL DICTIONARY

saint

n. A dead sinner revised and edited.
The Duchess of Orleans relates that the irreverent old calumniator, Marshal Villeroi, who in his youth had known St. Francis de Sales, said, on hearing him called saint: "I am delighted to hear that Monsieur de Sales is a saint. He was fond of saying indelicate things, and used to cheat at cards. In other respects he was a perfect gentleman, though a fool."

THESAURUS

saint

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

ROGET THESAURUS

saint

Angel

N angel, archangel, guardian angel, heavenly host, host of heaven, sons of God, seraph, seraphim, cherub, cherubim, ministering spirit, morning star, saint, patron saint, Madonna, invisible helpers, angelic, seraphic, cherubic, saintly.

Judeo-Christian Revelation

N Judeo-christian revelation, revelation, inspiration, afflatus, theophany, theopneusty, Word, Word of God, Scripture, the Scriptures, the Bible, Holy Writ, Holy Scriptures, inspired writings, Gospel, Old Testament, Septuagint, Vulgate, Pentateuch, Octateuch, the Law, the Jewish Law, the Prophets, major Prophets, minor Prophets, Hagiographa, Hagiology, Hierographa, Apocrypha, New Testament, Gospels, Evangelists, Acts, Epistles, Apocalypse, Revelations, Talmud, Mishna, Masorah, prophet, evangelist, apostle, disciple, saint, the Fathers, the Apostolical Fathers, Holy Men of old, inspired penmen, scriptural, biblical, sacred, prophetic, evangelical, evangelistic, apostolic, apostolical, inspired, theopneustic, theophneusted, apocalyptic, ecclesiastical, canonical, textuary.

Piety

N piety, religion, theism, faith, religiousness, holiness, saintship, religionism, sanctimony, reverence, humility, veneration, devotion, prostration, grace, unction, edification, sanctity, sanctitude, consecration, spiritual existence, odor of sanctity, beauty of holiness, theopathy, beatification, adoption, regeneration, conversion, justification, sanctification, salvation, inspiration, bread of life, Body and Blood of Christ, believer, convert, theist, Christian, devotee, pietist, the good, the righteous, the just, the believing, the elect, Saint, Madonna, Notre Dame, Our Lady, the children of God, the children of the Kingdom, the children of the light, pious, religious, devout, devoted, reverent, godly, heavenly- minded, humble, pure, holy, spiritual, pietistic, saintly, saint-like, seraphic, sacred, solemn, believing, faithful, Christian, Catholic, elected, adopted, justified, sanctified, regenerated, inspired, consecrated, converted, unearthly, not of the earth, ne vile fano, pure-eyed Faith, thou hovering angel girt with golden wings.

Impiety

N impiety, sin, irreverence, profaneness, profanity, profanation, blasphemy, desecration, sacrilege, scoffing, hypocrisy, pietism, cant, pious fraud, lip devotion, lip service, lip reverence, misdevotion, formalism, austerity, sanctimony, sanctimoniousness, pharisaism, precisianism, sabbatism, sabbatarianism, odium theologicum, sacerdotalism, bigotry blue laws, hardening, backsliding, declension, perversion, reprobation, sinner, scoffer, blasphemer, sacrilegist, sabbath breaker, worldling, hypocrite, Tartufe, Mawworm, bigot, saint, Pharisee, sabbatarian, formalist, methodist, puritan, pietist, precisian, religionist, devotee, ranter, fanatic, juramentado, the wicked, the evil, the unjust, the reprobate, sons of men, sons of Belial, the wicked one, children of darkness, impious, irreligious, desecrating, profane, irreverent, sacrilegious, blasphemous, un-hallowed, un-sanctified, un-regenerate, hardened, perverted, reprobate, hypocritical, canting, pietistical, sanctimonious, unctuous, pharisaical, overrighteous, righteous over much, bigoted, fanatical, priest-ridden, under the mask of religion, under the cloak of religion, under the pretense of religion, under the form of religion, under the guise of religion, giovane santo diavolo vecchio.

Good Man

N good man, honest man, worthy, good woman, perfect lady, Madonna, model, paragon, good example, hero, heroine, demigod, seraph, angel, innocent, saint, benefactor, philanthropist, Aristides, noble liver, pattern, brick, trump, gem, jewel, good fellow, prince, diamond in the rough, rough diamond, ugly duckling, salt of the earth, one in ten thousand, one in a million, a gentleman and a scholar, pillar of society, pillar of the community, a man among men, si sic omnes!.