patron saint

noun

1
: a saint to whose protection and intercession a person, a society, a church, or a place is dedicated
2
: an original leader or prime exemplar

Examples of patron saint in a Sentence

St. David is the patron saint of Wales. St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers. The success of her books has made her the patron saint of a new literary movement.
Recent Examples on the Web After his death, he was named Ireland’s patron saint. Diane J. Cho, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 This kickoff bash was held on the eve of the annual Sagra del Pesce, a fish festival that pays homage to the patron saint of fishermen and the lifeline of the tiny village of Camogli on the Italian Riviera, a stretch of gorgeous coastline along the Ligurian Sea. Lauren Breedlove, Travel + Leisure, 6 Mar. 2024 The holiday celebrates the patron saint of Ireland who, incidentally, wasn’t even Irish. Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024 Though the Roman Catholic Church removed the saint from their calendar in 1969 due to a lack of solid evidence, St. Valentine is regarded as the patron saint of lovers, and his Feb. 14 feast day is celebrated through gestures of affection. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 14 Feb. 2024 Catholics, for instance, recognize Saint Francis of Assisi as the patron saint of animals. Matt Keenan, Kansas City Star, 6 Feb. 2024 Jesús Guerrero, lead singer of Tijuana band Ramona, and patron saint of alt corridos Yetzirah Vargas are also performing. Kamren Curiel, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024 But thinking about that, that [Esquire] cover pays homage to St. Sebastian, who's the patron saint of gays. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 9 Feb. 2024 What started in 2013 as a hobby shooting images of La Virgen de Guadalupe on his phone has turned into an obsession with documenting murals and mosaics of Mexico’s brown-skinned patron saint outside laundromats, liquor stores, markets, churches, bakeries, taquerias and tire shops. Kamren Curiel, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'patron saint.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1703, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of patron saint was in 1703

Dictionary Entries Near patron saint

Cite this Entry

“Patron saint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patron%20saint. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

patron saint

noun
: a saint to whom a person, society, church, or place is dedicated

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