saint

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A dead person officially recognised by a church as especially holy.

   The church declared her a saint many years after her death.

2. 2
   noun

   A very good, kind, and patient person.

   You're a saint for helping me move all these boxes.

3. 3
   verb

   To officially declare someone a saint.

   Many people hoped the pope would be sainted soon after his death.

From Middle English saint, seint, sainct, seinct, sanct, senct, partly from Old English sanct (“saint”) and confluence with Old French saint, seinte (Modern French saint); both from Latin sānctus (“holy, consecrated”, in Late Latin as a noun, “a saint”), past participle of sancīre (“to render sacred, make holy”), akin to sacer (“holy, sacred”). Doublet of Sanctus. Displaced native Middle English halwe (“saint”) from Old English hālga (“saint, holy one”) (> Modern English hallow (“saint”)).

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