different between venerable vs saint

English

Etymology

From Middle French vénérable, from Old French, from Latin venerabilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?v?n???bl/, /?v?n??bl/

Adjective

venerable (comparative more venerable, superlative most venerable)

1. Commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position.
2. Worthy of reverence.
3. Ancient, antiquated or archaic.
4. Made sacred especially by religious or historical association.
5. Giving an impression of aged goodness and benevolence.

Synonyms

• (worthy of reverence): honorable, respectable
• (ancient, antiquated, archaic): aged, dated, hoary; see also Thesaurus:old or Thesaurus:obsolete

Antonyms

• (worthy of reverence): contemptible

Translations

Spanish

Adjective

venerable (plural venerables)

1. venerable

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /se?nt/
  • Rhymes: -e?nt
• (UK, as an unstressed, capitalised title) IPA^(key): /s?n(t)/, /s?n(t)/

Etymology 1

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 sanctus (“holy, consecrated”, in Late Latin as a noun, “a saint”), past participle of sancire (“to render sacred, make holy”), akin to sacer (“holy, sacred”). Displaced native Middle English halwe (“saint”) from Old English h?lga (“saint, holy one”) (> Modern English hallow (“saint”)).

Noun

saint (plural saints)

1. A person whom a church or another religious group has officially recognised as especially holy or godly; one eminent for piety and virtue.

   Kateri Tekakwitha was proclaimed a saint.
2. (figuratively, by extension) A person with positive qualities; one who does good.

   Dorothy Day was a living saint.

   Thanks for looking after the house while I'm away. You're a saint!

3. One of the blessed in heaven.
4. (archaic) A holy object.

Synonyms

• (holy person): hallow (obsolete)

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• hallow
• holos
• holy

Etymology 2

From Middle English saynten, seinten, sonten, partly from Anglo-Norman saintir and partly from the noun Middle English seint, seynt (see above).

Verb

saint (third-person singular simple present saints, present participle sainting, simple past and past participle sainted)

1. (transitive) To canonize, to formally recognize someone as a saint.

   Many wish to see Pope John Paul II sainted immediately.

Translations

Further reading

• saint in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• saint in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• Astin, Insta, Santi, Sinta, Tanis, Tians, antis, insta-, sat in, satin, stain, stian, tians, tisan

French

Etymology

From Latin sanctus (“holy”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s??/
• Rhymes: -??
• Homophones: sain, sains, saints, sein, seing, seings, seins, ceins, ceint, ceints

Noun

saint m (plural saints, feminine sainte)

1. saint

Adjective

saint (feminine singular sainte, masculine plural saints, feminine plural saintes)

1. saintly (all meanings)

Derived terms

Further reading

• “saint” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• tians

Irish

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

saint f (genitive singular sainte)

1. greed, avarice, covetousness
2. great eagerness, desire

Declension

Synonyms

• cíocras, gabhálacht (“avarice”)

Mutation

Norman

Etymology

From Old French saint, from Latin sanctus (“holy”).

Pronunciation

Adjective

saint m

1. (Jersey) holy

Noun

saint m (plural saints)

1. (Jersey, religion) saint

Old French

Alternative forms

• sanct (rare)
• saent (rare)
• seint (common, chiefly Anglo-Norman)

Etymology

Latin sanctus

Noun

saint m (oblique plural sainz or saintz, nominative singular sainz or saintz, nominative plural saint)

1. saint

Declension

Adjective

saint m (oblique and nominative feminine singular sainte)

1. holy
2. pious; devout

Descendants

• ? English: saint
• French: saint
• Norman: saint (Jersey)

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sai?nt/

Noun

saint m pl (not mutable)

1. plural of sant