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patron saint

American  

noun

  1. a saint regarded as the special guardian of a person, group, trade, country, etc.

patron saint British  

noun

  1. a saint regarded as the particular guardian of a country, church, trade, person, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
patron saint Cultural  

  1. A saint from whom a person or group claims special protection or prayers. Saint Christopher, for example, is considered the patron of travelers; Saint Luke, the patron of doctors; and Saint Patrick, the patron of Ireland. People who have the same name as a saint may consider the saint their patron. The honoring of patron saints is especially common in the Roman Catholic Church.

Etymology

Origin of patron saint

First recorded in 1710–20

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Wales celebrates its patron saint every year on 1 March.

From BBC

But then one of their tormentors became a patron saint.

From Barron's

The remains of Italy's patron saint, St Francis of Assisi, have gone on public display to mark 800 years since his death.

From BBC

Many families with children, couples and elderly people could be seen under a large white marquee, waiting their turn to see the 13th century skeleton of Italy's patron saint.

From Barron's

The "beads" are fossilised parts of the stem of a marine animal called a crinoid, but they earnt their nickname from St Cuthbert, considered the patron saint of the North of England.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.