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Saint Joseph

Saint Joseph

5.7
A Christian feast day on March 19 that honors Joseph, the husband of Mary, especially among Catholics
  • proper noun
translation icon : San José
  • Many Christians celebrate Saint Joseph on March 19.

Examples

  • Parishes dedicated to Saint Joseph often hold processions and feasts for the holiday.

  • Many Catholics attend Mass on Saint Joseph to honor the earthly father of Jesus.

  • In Italy, Saint Joseph is celebrated with special pastries and traditions on March 19.

  • Parishes dedicated to Saint Joseph often hold processions and feasts for the holiday.

  • Did you attend the Saint Joseph feast last year?

  • In Italy, Saint Joseph is celebrated with special pastries and traditions on March 19.

  • Many Catholics attend Mass on Saint Joseph to honor the earthly father of Jesus.

Synonyms

St Joseph
vsSaint Joseph
6.5

A Christian holy day that honors Joseph, Mary's husband and Jesus' foster father

is tied mainly to a single date in one tradition while others use different dates
March 19
vsSaint Joseph
1.0

A Christian day that honors Saint Joseph, Mary's husband

is celebrated on that date by one tradition but on other dates by others

Surface Forms

Morphology

saint + Joseph

The meaning is directly compositional: 'saint' (a holy or venerated person) combined with the proper name 'Joseph' yields the holy figure Saint Joseph, and by extension celebrations named for him (e.g., Saint Joseph's Day). This proper-name + title pattern is cross-linguistically common and therefore readily inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Saint Joseph is the name of a 'feast day' for Saint Joseph, the husband of Mary. The day on March 19 honors his role as Jesus's earthly father, so today Saint Joseph can mean the holiday people celebrate.