from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Saint \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.
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Them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to
be saints. --1 Cor. i. 2.
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2. One of the blessed in heaven.
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Then shall thy saints, unmixed, and from the impure
Far separate, circling thy holy mount,
Unfeigned hallelujahs to thee sing. --Milton.
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3. (Eccl.) One canonized by the church. [Abbrev. St.]
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{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-Andreae}, 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} (Zool.), 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 ({Daboecia
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} (Zool.), a pecten ({Vola Jacobaeus})
worn by pilgrims to the Holy Land. See Illust. under
{Scallop}.
{Saint James's-wort} (Bot.), a kind of ragwort ({Senecio
Jacobaea}).
{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}. (Zool.) See {John Dory}, under {John}.
{Saint Peter's-wort} (Bot.), a name of several plants, as
{Hypericum Ascyron}, {Hypericum quadrangulum}, {Ascyrum
stans}, etc.
{Saint Peter's wreath} (Bot.), a shrubby kind of {Spiraea}
({Spiraea 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.
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