Definitions for: Saint


[n] model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal
[n] person of exceptional holiness
[n] a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization
[v] in the Catholic church; declare (a dead person) to be a saint; "After he was shown to have performed a miracle, the priest was canonized"
[v] hold sacred



Webster (1913) Definition: 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.



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. (Zo["o]l.) 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 Spir[ae]a
(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 (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.


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

Synonyms: angel, apotheosis, canonise, canonize, enshrine, holy man, holy person, ideal, nonesuch, nonpareil, nonsuch, paragon

See Also: adjudge, Buddha, crackerjack, Crispin, David, declare, deity, divinity, fakeer, fakir, faqir, faquir, fear, Francis of Assisi, Giovanni di Bernardone, god, good person, hold, humdinger, immortal, jimdandy, jimhickey, model, Nicholas, patron saint, revere, reverence, role model, Saint Crispin, Saint David, Saint Francis, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Nicholas, sainthood, St Crispin, St David, St Francis, St Francis of Assisi, St Nicholas, venerate

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